The Maya ballgame is one of the most famous "sporting" events in history. More than just a fabulous spectator sport, it was also a ritual used as royal propaganda for the king. The game has fascinated the world since it was made known by the Europeans. Cortes was so enthralled he brought back a troupe of players to Spain in 1528; thus introducing the rubber ball to Europe. The Maya ball was made of solid rubber and weighed around 8 pounds. When in motion it could be a lethal weapon, which necessitated that player, wear protective gear such as this beautiful hacha. The hacha was attached to a thick yoke of heavy cloth or fiber wrapped around the waist. Hachas show players in profile, ranging from the fairly realistic to the abstract. This superb example very effectively represents the eyes as two horizontal bars and the eyebrows as a series of semi-circular squares. Its "minimalism" gives this hacha (which is in fact a sculpture), a very determined expression. The player seems as if he is surveying the field, preparing to enter a game, which could mean death. As well as offering protection, the hacha may also have been used as a marker to score points upon. The weight of this hacha, combined with its visual power is a graphic testimony not only of a serious sport, but also of the extraordinary Maya themselves.