430 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 4 



The Maya as well as the Aztec were ardent ball players ; the pok- 

 ta-pok or tlachtli game was attended by thousands, and it was played 

 with balls made of rubber. This was produced in the tropical low- 

 lands, and therefore there was an extensive trade in this commodity. 

 We read that 22 Olmeca towns in the lowlands of the Gulf coast 

 paid 16,000 rubber balls in tribute to the rulers of Mexico. 



Rubber was grown exclusively in the tropical lowlands and brought 

 to the highlands of Mexico by traders. These traders were prob- 

 ably Maya, for in the Maya language we find the word " uol ", 

 " uolol " denoting a ball or round thing from which the Nahautl de- 

 rived the word " ollin " for rubber and the Spaniards, still later, 

 their word hule. 



Next we come to the Maya utensils. In the house for cooking pur- 

 poses they needed containers and grinding stones on which to pre- 

 pare their bread, the maize pancake called " tortilla " today. The 

 containers were varied, some made of gourds, some of clay, and 

 others of stone. The gourd containers could be grown throughout 

 the area, and clay for pottery containers was abundant in all parts. 



But there is a difference between utensils and art pieces. Man 

 needs utensils for household purposes, and through the centuries he 

 has shown a desire for objects of beauty, to be used only on special 

 occasions. This desire to celebrate special events is the mother of art. 



Utilitarian vessels for use in daily household tasks were produced 

 on the spot, but certain towns or regions developed specialties in the 

 potter's art, which, because of their peculiarity, or peculiar beauty, 

 became famous and desirable. Therefore, they became trade objects. 



As far as the household needs were concerned, the natives obtained 

 their pots and pans from the gourd tree in the yard, the calabash 

 vine in the field, and the clay pit in the vicinity. Trade in these 

 specific commodities was local. 



A certain type of pottery was made in what is now El Salvador 

 and is easily recognizable because of its glaze, it being the only glazed 

 ware found anywhere in Central America. Pieces of this type have 

 been found in Huehuetenango, Copan, Chichen Itza, and as far dis- 

 tant as Vera Cruz and Jalisco (Thompson, 1929). 



Maize was the staple, and in order to be converted into the maize 

 cakes it had to be ground. The most favorable and efficient grinding 

 stones were made of volcanic tufa. The Maya area was underlain 

 by limestone. Ever so often we find that the local supply of rock had 

 to serve as best it could. 



Next comes clothing. It was the men who wore the gorgeous cos- 

 tumes; it was the priests who wore clothing and masks worthy of 

 the gods they worshiped. Cotton was grown in most parts of the 

 Maya country, and pieces of woven cotton of a stipulated size were 



