The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-07-06

0ANORA/zA or mr. Runs 0TcNrhKV ITZA

outside OF the building THIS temple contains
also on the walls OF an interior room an clab.
crate mural painting representing an attack
by some enemy upon city. perhaps ChiChen
It2a itself and its defense by the inhabitants.
Some OF the poses taken by the combatants in
the conflict are extremely realistic: such as in
the throwing OF iavclns, the swinging of war
clubs, and the like This bit Of mural dccora-
ton in The House Of The Tigers at ChiChen
liza probably marks the hiGhwater mark OF
aboriginal painting in the Western Henri.
sphere; at least It is superior to everything
else that has survived
The Identification Of these two great walls
and the temples associated with them, as
ball court, rests on firm historic foundation.
When the Spanish first came TO Mexico they
found the natives playing a game Of ball, which
was Of sufficient Importance to have a spe.
"ial court or ground set apart for its exclu,
siye use Several Of the early Spanish writer's
have described the game IN some detail and
all agree as to its having played an important
part in the life of the people one chroniclcr
has It that the object Of the game was to
strike the ball so that It would pass through
the opening in the stone ring above mentioned
as an important feature of the Chichcn liza
court lie adds that the feat was one OF con.
siderable dcXtcrity since the ball could not
be hit with tho hands but that the hips or
This rule Of the game very materially in.
creased the difficulty 10 making a Maya has
Ret SO much So u fact we are told that
the lucky player making this winning stroke
had forfeit to him as % reward for his skin all
the clothing and ornaments OF the spectators
Al such times. the rhgonicer concludes, tho
spectators were wont to scatter in all drec.
tions without loss OF time hoping thus 10 es.
cape paying the penalty. but that the friends
Of the lucky player Immediately gave chase
and ondeayorcd 30 exact the fun forfeit
Although the mage Hall Court has been Civ.
en- TO this group 81 temples at Chichcn liza,
II should not be supposed on that account
that this great court was built primarily for
sport Such an explanation OF it's fundamental
purpose is incompatible with any conception
which the American aborigine ever seems to
have entertained. To the liza people tho chief
function of their Ball Court was doubtless
religious one. Games played there IL not
actually held In connection Wit religious fes-
uvals, were at least sufficiently religious in
their meaning as to completely oyershadow
the element Of sport we understand the
term That n game was played in which com.
petition and skill entered in cannot be doubt.
ed In the face of contcmporuneous evidence
and to this extent perhaps the Mexican BALL
Courts were athletic fields; but It must not be
forgotten for n moment that It's true signih.
canoe was religious. and that the games which
were played there probably were held only in
connection with religious festivals II is not
improbable however, that the Aztccs were
breaking away from the religious feature OF
sport at the time Of the Spanish Conquest, but
that "The Holy Men Of the Itzas," as the PEG
pie Of Chlchen liza are sometimes called in
the early manuscripts. had taken any such
radical step is little short of inconceiyable so
religious in character was the whole MAYA
civilization
To the east Of the Castillo lie a great group
of courts. pyramids and ,olonnades THE City
of n Thousand Columns" already mentioned