Skip to Content
Today Open today 10–11 members | 11–8 public

Fragment of a Ceremonial Ballgame Yoke

A work made of stone.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of stone.

Date:

700–800

Artist:

Totonac
El Tajín and vicinity, northern Veracruz, Mexico

About this artwork

Played throughout Mesoamerica, the ceremonial ballgame was a sport as well as a ritual substitute for war in which sacrifice was often the final outcome. Players were required to propel a heavy rubber ball with their hips, thighs, shoulders, and lower arms. A yoke, made of padded leather or wood, was worn at mid-body to protect the torso and direct the ball. Carved stone yokes were intended as ceremonial emblems or trophies and were not used in actual play. At least eleven ballcourts have been discovered at El Tajín, suggesting that the city may have been a sort of Olympic center as well as a ruling capital.

Status

On View, Gallery 136

Department

Arts of the Americas

Culture

Veracruz, Classic

Title

Fragment of a Ceremonial Ballgame Yoke

Place

El Tajín (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

700 CE–800 CE

Medium

Stone

Dimensions

11.5 × 38.6 cm (4 1/2 × 15 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Ethel and Julian Goldsmith

Reference Number

1990.554.1

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/120143/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share