For sports fans, places like Fenway Park, Wembley Stadium or Center Court at Wimbledon are practically hallowed ground.
Archaeologists at the University of Cincinnati have found evidence of similar reverence in ball courts built by the ancient Maya in Mexico.
Using environmental DNA analysis, researchers have identified a collection of plants used in ceremonial rituals in the ancient Mayan city of Yaxnohcah. The plants, known for their religious associations and medicinal properties, were discovered beneath a plaza floor upon which a ball court was built.
The researchers said the ancient Mayans likely made a ceremonial offering during the construction of the ball court.
“When they erected a new building, they asked for the goodwill of the gods to protect the people who inhabited it,” said UC Professor David Lentz. “Some people call this a ‘souling ritual,’ to obtain a blessing and appease the gods.”
The research was carried out by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico in collaboration with researchers from the University of Calgary, the Autonomous University of Campeche and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Lentz and his research partners have been studying ancient Mesoamerican cultures throughout Mexico and Central America. New tools that can identify environmental DNA are helping them unlock secrets about how the ancient Maya may have used these spaces.
Researchers from 2016 to 2022 worked in Yaxnohcah in Campeche, about 9 miles north of the Guatemalan border, where they excavated a small area of a ball court.
The ancient Mayans played several ball games, including pok-a-tok, which was a mix of football and basketball. Players would try to put a ball through a ring or hoop on a wall.
“But not all ball courts had hoops,” Lentz said. “Today we think of ball courts as a place of entertainment. It wasn’t like that for the ancient Mayans.”
The ball courts occupied a privileged location in the ceremonial center. They were a fundamental part of the city.
David Lentz, UC College of Arts and Sciences
He referenced a famous Mayan myth of the hero twins who must play a game of ball with the gods to escape the underworld. And researchers believe that in some instances, competitors were sacrificed at the end of the match.
In some ancient Mayan cities, such as Tikal, Guatemala, ball courts were built prominently next to the largest temples.
“Ball courts occupied a prime location in the ceremonial center,” Lentz said. “They were a fundamental part of the city.”
Many construction projects today are subject to ceremonies, from groundbreaking to placing the last steel beam to cutting the ribbon. The ancient Mayans were also deliberate about their building ceremonies.
“A closer analogy today would be like naming a new ship,” Lentz said.
UC Professor Emeritus Nicholas Dunning collected a sediment sample from the base of a side wall. Here, at a site known as the Helena complex, researchers believe there was a civic ceremonial platform consisting of stone and earth three feet high.
The site began as a humble residential structure built on solid rock, Dunning said. These founding sites of the community grew into places hallowed in monumental architecture, she said.
“Over time, important family members were buried within the expanding platforms, imbuing these places with power. The Mayans practiced ancestor worship,” Dunning said.
“In a way, structures like the Helena Group were considered alive or had souls that needed to be nurtured,” he said.
Dunning said that when buildings were expanded or redesigned, as was the case with the ball court, the ancient Mayans made offerings to bless the site. Archaeologists sometimes find pottery or jewelry in these offerings along with plants of cultural significance.
“We have known for years from ethnohistoric sources that the Maya also used perishable materials in these offerings, but they are nearly impossible to find archaeologically, which makes this discovery using eDNA so extraordinary,” Dunning said.
Ancient plant remains are rarely discovered in tropical climates, where they decompose quickly. But using environmental DNA, researchers were able to identify several types known for their ritual significance.
“Ancient DNA sequencing is incredible,” said Alison Weiss, study co-author and professor emeritus at the UC College of Medicine.
The UC researchers used a product called RNAlater to preserve the samples during transport back to the labs. Special probes sensitive to the species found in that region helped them identify fragmented DNA from several species, she explained.
They discovered evidence of plants associated with ancient Mayan medicine used in divination rituals.
A type of morning glory called xtabentun is known for its hallucinogenic properties. Nowadays, people make mead with honey from bees that feed on the pollen of xtabentun flowers.
Peppers are now a favorite seasoning around the world. But to the ancient Mayans, peppers were used to treat a variety of ailments. An offering of peppers may have been intended to ward off disease, Lentz said.
“We think of pepper as a seasoning. But for the ancient Maya, it was much more than that,” Lentz said. “It was a medicinal plant used in many ceremonies.”
The researchers also identified the Hampea trilobata or jool tree. The leaves of this tree were used to wrap food packages for Mayan ceremonies. The ancient Mayans also wove food baskets from string made from tree bark. And it was used in medicines to treat snake bites.
Ultimately, researchers found evidence of the spear plant or Oxandra lanceolata. Its oily leaves are known as vasodilators, anesthetics and antibiotic agents.
I agree. The fact that these four plants, which have known cultural importance to the Maya, were found in a concentrated sample tells us that it was an intentional and purposeful collection under this platform. This suggests that these plants not only played a practical role in the lives of the Maya, but also had important ritual and ceremonial significance.
Eric Tepe, UC College of Arts and Sciences
UC botanist and Associate Professor Eric Tepe said finding evidence of these plants together in the same small sediment sample is significant. He studied modern plants in the same forests once roamed by the ancient Maya.
“I think the fact that these four plants, which have known cultural importance to the Maya, were found in a concentrated sample tells us that it was an intentional, purposeful collection under this platform,” Tepe said.
Researchers for years have identified the diets and uses of plants among ancient cultures by studying trapped pollen, preserved charcoal and mounds of ancient trash. Now, environmental DNA promises to help researchers learn even more about ancient civilizations, Tepe said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if this tool becomes more common. You gain insights you wouldn’t learn otherwise,” he said.
The researchers highlighted the challenge of trying to interpret a collection of plants through the opaque lens of 2,000 years of prehistory. But Lentz said the discoveries help enrich the history of this sophisticated culture.
Researchers believe that the ancient Maya devised water filtration systems and employed conservation-oriented forestry practices. But they were powerless against prolonged droughts and are also believed to have deforested vast areas for agriculture.
“We see the yin and yang of human existence in the ancient Maya,” Lentz said. “To me, that’s why they’re so fascinating.”
The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
This article is republished from University of Cincinnati. Read the original article.
