Le tzompantli et le jeu de balle: Relation entre deux espaces rituels

Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 32

Western values imposed on pre-Columbian practices are obstacles in the understanding of the relationship between the 'skull-rack' (tzompantli) and the 'ball-court'. The impact of a long-held interpretation which stems from the belief that in the ball-game the loser was beheaded is probed, once the activities related to both sacred spaces are surveyed, to examine the genesis of an unfounded proposal. The research shows it is the product of the remin...