F. Kent Reilly III

This paper examines the archaeology, folklore, and iconography attesting to the antiquity of the Apalachee Ball Game.  We examine the “Apalachee Ball Game Myth” as recorded by Friar Juan Paiva in 1676 as well as several Mississippian archaeological contexts and carved shell objects (ca. A.D. 1350-1550) that thematically portray episodes in this myth.  Using the evidence gleaned from these several sources, we can demonstrate that the ideology underlying the Apalachees’ Ball Game dates from at least the Middle Mississippian Period (A.D. 1150-1350).  Furthermore, we place these findings within the context of the historic Mission San Luis site to elucidate the impacts of the juego de la pelota’s removal before Colonel James Moore attacked the mission and scattered its occupants in 1704.  The overall emphasis is our hypothesis that the significance of games such as these permeates multiple spheres of cultural activity and functions as a means of social cohesion.

As mysterious masters of the Olman microcosm, Olmec rulers oversaw the creation and projection of their cosmic visions through both massive and miniscule forms of media.  Believed to be incarnate gods, these stewards of life and death exercised authority that transcended the natural world.  Acting as a surrogate ruler, the Las Limas monument is charged with a supernatural aura, manifested in the cryptic symbols its incised visage exhibits.  As such, this inanimate object bears all of the markings that signify its membership within an elite politico-religious caste.  Therefore, this brief analysis constructs a three-tiered interpretation of the monument itself and the iconography it projects to a multi-generational audience, building on the initial research of Dr. F. Kent Reilly III.  It attempts to both account for the symbolic language it bears and identify the intentions behind its construction.  The purpose is to communicate how the Las Limas monument exists as the embodiment of an Olmec perspective of rulership that extends into infinity.

... This study is a foray into expanding and synthesizing our explanations of divine kingship in ... Stuart (2006) makes a clear case for the Classic Maya formalized counting of bagged cacao beans ... The bottle gourd can resemble a phallus and scrotum and the Maya represent the ...

This paper examines the archaeology, folklore, and iconography attesting to the antiquity of the Apalachee Ball Game.  We examine the “Apalachee Ball Game Myth” as recorded by Friar Juan Paiva in 1676 as well as several Mississippian archaeological contexts and carved shell objects (ca. A.D. 1350-1550) that thematically portray episodes in this myth.  Using the evidence gleaned from these several sources, we can demonstrate that the ideology underlying the Apalachees’ Ball Game dates from at least the Middle Mississippian Period (A.D. 1150-1350).  Furthermore, we place these findings within the context of the historic Mission San Luis site to elucidate the impacts of the juego de la pelota’s removal before Colonel James Moore attacked the mission and scattered its occupants in 1704.  The overall emphasis is our hypothesis that the significance of games such as these permeates multiple spheres of cultural activity and functions as a means of social cohesion.