Cleveland Museum of Art

Ballgame Hip Protector (Yoke)

Date

600–900

Medium

greenstone, pigment

Culture

Mexico, Gulf Coast, Classic Veracruz style (600-1100)

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

U-shaped ballgame sculptures imitate the shape of belt-like protectors, perhaps made of wood and padding, worn to shield ballplayers from injury when they returned the solid rubber ball from their hips. This fine example embodies a major theme of the ballgame: the connection between fertility and death. It is made of greenstone, a precious material that through its color symbolizes the lush burgeoning of nature after the rainy season. The imagery, however, is menacing: a monstrous head snarls from the curve, and human skulls appear on the sides. The ballgame was a team sport played on specially constructed rectangular courts and involved striking a large solid rubber ball without using your hands.

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