Chichen Itza - Head-Chopping at the Ball Court

The great ball court at Chichén Itzá was more than a place for sport. It was also a place for sacrifice.

It is believed that game-losers sacrificed themselves to game-winners.  Some scholars believe that winners sacrificed themselves to losers and, in return, went directly to heaven (instead of taking the normal thirteen steps). 

Either way, games in the great-ball court had bloody endings!

Click on the image for a better view.

Credits

Photo, close-up of the ball-court wall at Chichén Itzá.

Background information, Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World, by Lynn V. Foster (with Foreword by Peter Mathews).