Archaeologists have found an ancient scoreboard used by the Mayans during a ball game. The stone disc was found at Chichen Itza, an iconic ancient city in Yucatan, Mexico, and dates to the late 800s or early 900s AD.
Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History says the scoreboard is about 12.7 inches in diameter and weighs about 108 pounds. Two players standing with a ball is engraved in the center and text is engraved around the center.
Lizbeth Beatriz Mendicuti Perez was found during an archaeological dig at Casa Colorado, or the “Red House” of Chichen Itza. The excavation was coordinated by archaeologists Francisco Perez Ruiz and José Osorio León.
“It’s rare to find hieroglyphic writing at this Mayan site, let alone a complete text; it hasn’t happened in over 11 years,” Perez said in a statement, adding that the scoreboard was likely used in a game like Casa Colorada. .
INAH
Archaeologist Mendicuti Perez said the scoreboard appeared to have fallen from an arch when the structure collapsed.
One of the characters carved into the stone wears a feathered headdress and a sash that shows a flower, believed to be a water lily. He is depicted as speaking or breathing. His counterpart wears a “snake turban”, which is seen in many figures at Chichen Itza.
The date of the disk is believed to be 12 Eb 10 Cumku in the Mayan calendar – about 894 AD.
Chichén Itzá is a sacred site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning it is a significant site protected by the United Nations. It was the capital of the Yucatan Peninsula until 1200 AD. C. and its most iconic structure, El Castillo, is known to align with the sun, demonstrating the advanced architectural knowledge of the Mayans who built the city, according to INAH.
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Caitlin O’Kane
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