undirected blog 10/4

The map of Mesoamerica has been very helpful for me in identifying the locations of art pieces and the relationship between art and architecture at each specific location in Mesoamerica. It is a lot of information to retain, but very interesting to learn about. I noted that there was a structural theme in the majority of the cities found within the map; they each have a ball court, some even have multiple ball courts in one town. I looked at the sketches and photos of these ball courts in the different locations, and they were all similar in layout and some in size, although some were on a larger scale and had bigger stadiums for spectators. I found this relevant to the size of the city and the population of its people, which makes sense. I found this interesting that the ancient Mesoamericans were such athletic people and so interested in sporting activities at such a primitive time period, and that it was so monumental to them that they created central structures within their cities to devote to this sport. The reading linked this tradition to soccer, which I found very intriguing because Hispanic people are very passionate about soccer in particular, and it would be very cool to discover that the basis for the development of this sport came from this area and evolved from the sport Mesoamericans played in their ball courts thousands of years ago, and that a direct descendant of this game is still played today. The sculpture of the ball court in the reading was unique and different from previous pieces we’ve studied, so it stood out to me, just like the structures of the ball courts did on the map. The game atmosphere depicted in the sculpture was more friendly and family-oriented than I would have assumed from just viewing the ball courts. It seemed more realistic and similar to modern game stadiums, with all the fans cheering on the players.