History:
U‘arhukua Ch‘anakua or P‘urhepecha Ball is an Indigenous Mexican sport similar to those in the hockey family. Traditionally practiced in different communities all over the state of Michoacan. It is also practiced in Mexico City since 1993 and became very popular when it was incorporated in the National Child and Youth Olympics in 2004 and 2005 as the first indigenous origin exhibition sport and it's currently practiced in 10 different states throughout Mexico. P´urhepecha Ball game continues to be practiced by indigenous communities around blocks in the streets.
The antecedents of the Purépecha ball game go back to the first settlers of what is now Michoacan. A legend in Michoacan tells that when Mars, the fifth star, was reborn and unleashed natural catastrophes against the Earth, the P´urhépecha people invented the ballgame as a remedy to level the cosmos.
Rules:
It is played in a 120 meters long and 6-8-meter-wide court, with 6-8 players on each team. Ball is hit with a wooden cane with a curve on the lower side (similar to a hockey stick). It has two main modalities: one is practiced during the night with a lit wooden ball, the other one is played during the day with a cloth ball. To score a point the ball has to cross through the opposite side of the court.
Before starting, one player from each team is placed in the center of the field. Subsequently they hit their sticks three times against each other, throw the rag ball, which is soaked in fuel and lightened.
During the game, the players try to get the ball to the opposite goal. The score occurs when the ball crosses the finish line of the other team.
