Work

Contentious practices. Playing ball in the late classic maya village of nacimiento and other non-urban settings

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Competition characterizes sports, with athletes engaging each other directly. Taken for granted in body-based models of society is their need to also negotiate shared rules of playing. Based on assemblage theory, we critique the notion of pre-established structuring structures and introduce the concept of contentious practices. Sports vividly exemplify concrete practices with often devastating impacts for athletes and wide appeal for bystanders. Political efforts tap this potential and, through a process of negotiation, make some of these practices salient and employ them to unify social groups. We develop this discussion by studying the playing of ball in the Maya lowlands. Our preliminary study documents 26 non-urban ballcourts. Their presence in villages and similar settings challenges ballgame models centering on elites and the political economy. Comparisons with urban ballcourts reveal statistically significant shape differences. The ballcourt at the Nacimiento village contextualizes these results in differing in style, shape, and orientation from other Petexbatun ballcourts. These spatially and temporally diverse ballcourts complement earlier studies in suggesting ballgames instead of a single homogeneous institution. Seen from the perspective of an emergent totality, heterogeneous individuals engage in contentious practices and, by agreeing on proper ways of participation, form a common world.

Source: Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaa.2026.101776

Authors: Markus Eberl, Omar Schwendener, Claudia María Vela González

Institutions: Vanderbilt University, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

Language: English

Topic: Historical Studies in Central America

Subfield: History

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,370