STUDENTS OF THE GAME.

PELOTA (Latin American game); AGUILAR, Manuel; INDIGENOUS peoples of Mexico; INDIGENOUS peoples of Central America; BALL games; AZTECS; MAYAS; OLMECS; BRADY, James; GAMES

The article looks at the oldest sport in the Americas, Ulama, which is now on the verge of extinction. Archaeologists say that communities from the jungles of Honduras to the deserts of northern Mexico have been playing versions of Ulama for the past 3,500 years. The ancient game has survived the rise and fall of the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations. The game is on the verge of extinction because of the players' relative poverty and geographic isolation, a lack of natural rubber for the ball, and competition from newer sports such as volleyball and baseball. Archaeologist James Brady and art historian Manuel Aguilar from the Ulama Project are among those trying to preserve Ulama. The game played a part of key religious festivals and sometimes even involved human sacrifice.