26 CHICHEN 1TZA. 



of the interior of the chamber have been covered with sculpture similar to that 

 which will be hereafter described in chamber E, but unfortunately it is too much 

 weather-worn for the designs to be made out. A view of this temple is given in 

 Plate XXIX., i. 



The game which was played in this magnificent court was, no doubt, much the same 



as the Mexican Tlachtli, which is thus described by Herrera : — " The game was called 



' Tlachtli,' which is the same as ' Trinquete ' in Spanish. The ball was made of the 



gum from a tree which grows in the hot country. This tree, when tapped, exudes 



some large white drops, which soon congeal and when mixed and kneaded become as 



black as pitch ; of this material the balls are made, and, although heavy and hard to 



the hand, they bound and rebound as lightly as footballs, and are indeed better, as 



there is no need to inflate them. They do not play for ' chases ' (al chacar), but to 



make a winning strike (al veneer), as in the game of Chueca — that is, to strike the ball 



against or to hit it over the wall which the opposite party defend. The ball may be 



struck with any part of the body, either such part as is most convenient or such as each 



player is most skilful in using. Sometimes it is arranged that it should count against 



any player who touches the ball otherwise than with his hip, for this is considered by 



them to show the greatest skill, and on this account they would wear a piece of stiff 



raw hide over the hips, so that the ball might better rebound. The ball might be 



struck as long as it bounded, and it made many bounds one after the other, as though 



it were alive. They played in parties, so many on each side, and for such a stake as a 



parcel of cotton cloths (una carga de mantas), more or less, according to the wealth of 



the players. They also played for articles of gold and for feathers, and at times staked 



their own persons. The place where they played was a court on the level of the 



ground (sala baja), long, narrow, and high, but wider above than below, and higher at 



the sides than at the ends (fronteras) . So that it should be better to play in, the court 



was well cemented, and the walls and floors made quite smooth. In the side walls 



were fixed two stones like millstones, with a hole pierced through the middle, through 



which there was just room for the ball to pass, and the player who hit the ball 



through the hole won the game ; and as this was a rare victory, which few gained, by 



the ancient custom and law of the game, the victor had a right to the mantles of all 



the spectators ; and when the ball passed through the hole it was an amusing sight to 



see all the onlookers take to flight with much merriment and laughter in the hope of 



saving their mantles, which others clutched on behalf of the victor, who had to make 



certain sacrifices to the Idol of Trinquete and of the stone (ring) through which the 



ball had passed. To those who saw the feat performed for the first time it seemed 



like a miracle, and they said that a player who had such good luck would become a 



thief or an adulterer, or would die soon. And the memory of such a victory lasted 



many days, until it was followed by another, which put it out of mind. Every Trinquete 



