The word ulama comes from the Nahuatl word ōllamaliztli a combination of ōllamas and ōllei . Ōllamaliztli was the Aztec name for the Mesoamerican ballgame, whose roots extended back to at least the 2nd millennium BC and evidence of which has been found in nearly all Mesoamerican cultures in an area extending from modern-day Mexico to El Salvador, and possibly in modern-day Arizona and New Mexico. Archaeologists have uncovered rubber balls dating to at least 1600 BC, ballgamer figures from at least 1200 BC, and nearly 1500 ancient ball courts. However, due to its religious and ritual aspects, SpanishCatholics suppressed the game soon after the Spanish conquest, leaving it to survive in areas such as Sinaloa, where Spanish influence was less pervasive. As part of its nationwide revival, the game now has a home in the capital Mexico City, at a cultural centre in the Azcapotzalco neighbourhood.
Ulama
Ulama games are played on a temporary court called a tastei. The bounds of these long narrow courts are made by drawing or chalking thick lines in the dirt. The courts are divided into opposing sides by a center line, called an analco. A ball that is allowed to cross the end line, the chichi or chivo, will result in a point for the opposing team. Points or rayas are gained in play. The scoring system provides for resetting the score to zero in certain conditions, which can make for lengthy games. The modern-day game has three main forms:
Ulama de cadera or hip ulama. A hip ulama team consists of five or more players wearing loincloths, with leather hip pads for some protection against the heavy rubber ball.
Ulama de antebrazo or forearm ulama. Played on a smaller field, with teams of one to three players and a ball lighter than that of hip ulama, the games requires the players to return the ball using their wrapped forearm. Women often play this game.
Ulama de mazo or Ulama de palo, in which a heavy two-handed wooden paddle strikes a 500g ball, usually in teams of three or four.
The object of the game is to keep the ball in play and in bounds. Depending on the score — and the local variant of the rules — the ball is played either high or low. A team scores a point when a player of the opposing team hits the ball out of turn; misses the ball; knocks the ball out of bounds; touches the ball with their hands or some other body part aside from the hip; accidentally touches a teammate; lets the ball stop moving before it reaches the centre line or even if they fail to announce the score after they have scored a point. The first team that scores eight points wins. If both teams end up having the same number of points after a turn, both sidesbegin again from zero. One record-setting game reportedly lasted for eight days, but most modern games are stopped after about two hours.
