History
Ulama is a traditional sport that dates back 3,500 years and involves keeping a rubber ball weighing approximately 4 kg within the boundaries of the field. This game, which originated with the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs, is still played in Mexico today. Ulama is considered the world's oldest known team sport, having been played by ancient Mesoamerican cultures in Central America nearly a thousand years before the first Olympic Games in Greece. Experts estimate that there was one of these ball fields in each of the ancient cities in this region and that they were built approximately 3,600 years ago.
Rules
Ulama is played on a field called tastei, which is approximately 225 meters long and 13 meters wide. The Tastei area is divided in half by a field-length line, and these lines form the boundaries of both sides. Although teams generally consist of three to five people, this number may vary. According to the findings obtained in archaeological excavations, it is played with a rubber ball weighing 3-8 kg and 25-37 cm in diameter. The fields are surrounded by stone blocks. The player serves and throws the ball at a high level, which starts the game. Players try to keep the ball in the air with hip kicks. The team that cannot keep the ball in the air gives a point to the opposing team. In the Ulama game, the team that scores 8 points wins the game.
