The Ballcourt
The ballcourt is believed to date from around 905 AD
The path from the Nunnery Quadrangle to the House of the Turtles and Governor's Palace runs through a small Ballcourt. "Ballcourts are an exciting and noteworthy feature of the Maya area's archaeological scene..increasingly understood as prime areas for exciting rubber ball games and imposing ritual-political performance".
Olivier de Montmollin, A Regional Study of Classic Maya Ballcourts from the upper Grijalva Basin, Chiapas, Mexico, p. 1
Ballcourt ring has Date of 905 AD
The ring attached to the ballcourt wall is a copy of one of the stone rings originally found here. It contains hieroglyphic dates which have various readings, but generally the Ballcourt is believed to date to around 905 AD and to have been built by Lord Chac.
Feathered serpent iconography
Feathered serpent iconography from central Mexico is evident in the ballcourt. Parts of a feathered serpent have been reassembled at the side of the ballcourt when we visited in 2004.
The Feathered Serpent is identified with the central American cult of Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan, and it may reflect the influence of Chichen Itza on Lord Chac's building campaign.
Giant rattlesnake rattle
A rattle from the serpent's tail is still attached to the Ballcourt wall, so presumably the other serpent body parts were originally attached here too.
Intertwining serpent body parts
Additional fragments of intertwining feathered-serpent body parts have been stacked along the ballcourt playing alley, perhaps in preparation for reassembly and re-attachment to the wall.
Terraces overlook playing areas
The Ballcourt, with House of the Turtles and Palace of the Governor in Background. It has been speculated that, since there is no spectator seating within the ballcourt itself, games might have been viewed from the platform of the Governor's Palace or the House of the Turtles, or, on the opposite end, from the platform supporting the Nunnery Quadrangle.