The Mayan ball court at Chichen Itza is the second largest one in the Americas. The playing area measures 100m from end to end by 30m wide. This photo shows the outer walls with the Jaguar Temple attached on the right hand end. The Mesoamerican ball game itself is believed to have originated over 3500 years ago. In other words the Mayan form of the game is almost as old as the Mayan civilisation itself which began to develop around 2000 BC. The game had both ritual and militaristic purposes (i.e. training for warriors). It was tough and dangerous and in major games involved sacrificing the captain of the winning team to the gods.