‘I bet they were.’
‘Of course, fatalities were expected in ceremonial games, particularly at the end of the match. According to some historians, the captain of the winning team was sacrificed to the gods.’
‘Wait! They killed the winner? What kind of incentive was that?’
‘It guaranteed the captain’s place in heaven.’
‘Thank God we didn’t have that tradition at Annapolis. I was the captain of my football and basketball teams. I would have been killed for sure.’
Ulster explained further. ‘This game has been played for more than three thousand years throughout Mesoamerica. Different cultures had different traditions. The Aztecs, for instance, sacrificed captives before their games to honour their gods. Then they killed members of the losing team as food for the gods after the games. Sometimes, due to a scarcity of rubber in Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs would use human heads or skulls instead of balls.’
‘That’s disgusting.’
‘The Aztecs had skull racks positioned near their fields. The racks were rows of pointed sticks where the heads of the losing team would be placed after the game. Obviously, the sticks are long gone, but I’ve seen some particularly gruesome artwork depicting the practice.’ Ulster glanced at the wall, searching for something. ‘I believe the Maya had some grisly carvings somewhere near this court. If you like, I can try to find them.’
‘No thanks. I’ve seen plenty of dead guys in my lifetime.’
Ulster nodded. ‘I guess you have.’
Payne pointed at the base of the wall. It was slanted toward his feet at a 45-degree angle. ‘Is this some kind of anchor to hold the wall up?’
‘Architecturally, it might have had that purpose. Athletically, it served as a bench for players who were waiting to enter the game.’
‘I’ll be damned. The Maya had benchwarmers.’
‘No,’ he said, ‘I don’t believe the benches were heated. However, thanks to the direction of the midday sun—’
Payne cut him off. ‘Benchwarmers is a sports term. It means backups. Substitutes. Second-teamers. They aren’t on the field, so their job is to warm the bench with their butts.’
Ulster laughed. ‘What a strange-yet-accurate word! I’ll be sure to remember it. I thought I would be the only one imparting knowledge during this conversation, yet you’ve managed to teach me a colourful new term. Somehow I feel a tad smarter.’
‘As do I. Thanks for explaining the game to me.’
He threw his arm around Payne’s shoulder. ‘This is why we make such a wonderful team. I supply the academics, and you supply—’
‘Everything else.’
While Payne and Ulster searched for the redhead near the ball court, Jones and Maria focused on the buildings of the Central Group.
To reach that area of the site, they walked along a raised path known as a sacbe (plural sacbeob). The term — meaning ‘white road’ in Yucatec Mayan — was used to describe the paved roads that were built by the Maya. White from the limestone stucco that coated the roadways, more than a hundred sacbeob were discovered in Chichén Itzá alone. Not only did they connect different zones inside the site, they also fanned out to other cities in the region.
After a five-minute walk through a thick forest, they emerged in a large clearing that was shaped like a right parenthesis. Grass and dirt filled the area in between the stone buildings, which started in the north and arched along the clearing towards the south. Of all the structures in the Central Group, the one that caught their eye was the Mayan observatory.
Nicknamed ‘the snail’ because of the spiral staircase inside the domed tower, El Caracol was built high above the surrounding vegetation in the early tenth century. Windows were angled with such precision that sightlines for more than twenty astronomical events, including solstices, equinoxes, solar and lunar eclipses and the cycles of Venus, were discovered in the structure.
Marvelling at the architecture, Jones and Maria strolled towards one of the stone staircases, where a young tour guide was finishing up a brief history of its construction.
‘Thanks to the archaeologists at INAH, we are learning more and more about Chichén Itzá every single day,’ the tour guide explained. ‘One of the things we know with some certainty is the completion date of this building. According to a carving on the upper platform, this observatory was built in 906 AD. That is the end of the Late Classic period of Mesoamerican cultures.’
He paused for a moment, waiting for a question, then pointed at a ruin to the south. ‘Next we are heading to a stone temple called La Iglesia. That is Spanish for “The Church”.’
The tour group, which looked bored out of their minds, turned like zombies and started trudging in that direction. Jones hustled to show them a photo of the redhead. Meanwhile, Maria used the opportunity to grab the tour guide’s arm.
‘Excuse me,’ she said politely. ‘May I ask you a question?’
He nodded excitedly. ‘Thank goodness! My first one of the day. I’m glad someone’s awake. I was beginning to feel like a high-school teacher.’
‘Actually, I’m not technically in your group.’
He laughed. ‘That’s fine with me. I’m not technically a tour guide. I’m just filling in for a friend who’s sick.’
‘Well, it sounds like you know your stuff.’
‘I’m getting there. I still have a lot to learn, though.’
‘You’re a student?’
He nodded. ‘Archaeology. I’m working with INAH for the semester.’
‘INAH? I heard you mention that. What does that stand for?’
‘Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.’
‘Which is …?’
‘A government bureau that protects and preserves the historical sites in Mexico. We’re currently overseeing the archaeologists who are excavating Old Chichén.’
She furrowed her brow. ‘Old Chichén? What’s that?’
He laughed. ‘I thought you had one question.’
‘Sorry. If you have to go, I completely understand. It’s just, well, I’m an archaeologist myself, so I’m kind of excited to learn more about this place.’
‘I bet you are. Chichén Itzá is a wonderful site, filled with all kinds of historical mysteries. Are you here alone? I’d be happy to show you around.’
She shook her head and pointed at Jones. ‘I’m actually here with him. We were supposed to meet a friend of a friend, but we can’t find her anywhere. Maybe you’ve seen her.’
‘Maybe I have. What does she look like?’
She pulled out her phone. ‘Actually, I have a picture of her.’
‘Wow! You’re prepared.’
‘Let that be a lesson to you. Archaeologists are always prepared.’
He smiled and glanced at the screen. ‘Hey, I have seen her. That’s Red. She got here last night.’
‘You know her?’
‘Not personally, but I saw her last night. Everyone called her Red.’
‘You saw her here?’
‘Not here. At the campground by Old Chichén. That’s where some of the archaeologists are staying. It’s much cheaper than a hotel room.’ He laughed at himself. ‘Look who I’m telling? I bet you’re staying in a tent yourself. Am I right?’
‘Something like that,’ she lied. ‘So, how do I get to Old Chichén?’
He pointed at a narrow path that led through the forest to the south. ‘It’s a long hike through the jungle. I hope you’ve got water and insect repellent.’
She patted her backpack. ‘Like I said, archaeologists are always prepared.’