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Mexican Construction Crew Discovers Ancient Maya Ball Court
![Mayan ballcourt at Chichen Itza, Mexico. Photo by Jongleur100, public domain. Mayan ballcourt at Chichen Itza, Mexico. Photo by Jongleur100, public domain.](https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2014/03/MayanBallcourt-1024x768.jpeg)
Sarah Cascone
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A construction crew in the Yucatan has unearthed an ancient Maya ball court. The crew was beginning work on a basketball court being built at the foot of a hill by West Technological University in Meirda, Mexico, when digging equipment ran into a layer of pink stone. Archeologists were called to the scene and quickly identified the site as a ballgame court, where the ancient Maya would have played the popular ballgame, notable for its ritual significance, and for often involving human sacrifice.