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Description

Material culture such as ceramic vases, paintings and statuettes confirm that, for centuries, the ancient Maya practiced "conch boxing", wearing conch shells as knuckle disters on their hands & wooden helmets (some representing deities or divine ancestors) for protection. Such fights were most likely part of a ritual related to rain.

Clay statuettes of fighters with removable helmets portraying these boxers have been found in archaeological sites such as El Perú / Waka' in Petén, Guatemala. The same kind of attire and boxing equipment is present in a painted polychrome vessel found in the site of Lubaantun, southern Belize.
Ritual boxing was, and in some places still is, important in the life of Mesoamerica. With the use of various costumes and equipment, beyond the Maya area the sport existed from at least the Late Preclassic period (200 b.c) in Oaxaca to the present day in Guerrero.
Based on the study of the iconography of both water and fire deities, it can be assumed that the fight between the two teams reflects the confrontation between the elements of fire and water. The Aztec term for war (atl-tlachinolli) translates to "water and fire". Some sources record on the figures of fighters the attributes of the jaguar - the deity of the underworld and the supernatural patron of fire. On the other side we see the command of the deity of rain and water.
Martial arts were held on a hill and had the goal of bringing rain, which was important for irrigation. After drinking alcohol, two teams of 3-5 people started the fight. The fighters picked up "gloves" from large spiked shells and struck a friend until they lost consciousness. Sometimes the head of the boxers was protected by a deaf helmet made of an unknown material.
Ritual boxing was widespread throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. This blood sport was not limited to the environment or only ritual motifs. But it was the Maya who gave us the key to understanding this phenomenon. And now we know that if we beat each other on the head with sharp shells together and cheerfully, then the long-awaited rain will come (probably) [source ].

Today, this tradition lives through the dance / fight of the Tecuanes (plural of Tecuani / Tekuani a Nahuatl name for "Jaguar") in the State of Guerrero, Mexico, performed as part of the Atzatzilistli, a traditional Nahua festival asking for rain. This occurs today, for example, in the community of Acatlán (ES) and Zitala (ES) - but, of course, with actual boxing gloves.

Description

Material culture such as ceramic vases, paintings and statuettes confirm that, for centuries, the ancient Maya practiced "conch boxing", wearing conch shells as knuckle disters on their hands & wooden helmets (some representing deities or divine ancestors) for protection. Such fights were most likely part of a ritual related to rain.

Clay statuettes of fighters with removable helmets portraying these boxers have been found in archaeological sites such as El Perú / Waka' in Petén, Guatemala. The same kind of attire and boxing equipment is present in a painted polychrome vessel found in the site of Lubaantun, southern Belize.
Ritual boxing was, and in some places still is, important in the life of Mesoamerica. With the use of various costumes and equipment, beyond the Maya area the sport existed from at least the Late Preclassic period (200 b.c) in Oaxaca to the present day in Guerrero.
Based on the study of the iconography of both water and fire deities, it can be assumed that the fight between the two teams reflects the confrontation between the elements of fire and water. The Aztec term for war (atl-tlachinolli) translates to "water and fire". Some sources record on the figures of fighters the attributes of the jaguar - the deity of the underworld and the supernatural patron of fire. On the other side we see the command of the deity of rain and water.
Martial arts were held on a hill and had the goal of bringing rain, which was important for irrigation. After drinking alcohol, two teams of 3-5 people started the fight. The fighters picked up "gloves" from large spiked shells and struck a friend until they lost consciousness. Sometimes the head of the boxers was protected by a deaf helmet made of an unknown material.
Ritual boxing was widespread throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. This blood sport was not limited to the environment or only ritual motifs. But it was the Maya who gave us the key to understanding this phenomenon. And now we know that if we beat each other on the head with sharp shells together and cheerfully, then the long-awaited rain will come (probably) [source ].

Today, this tradition lives through the dance / fight of the Tecuanes (plural of Tecuani / Tekuani a Nahuatl name for "Jaguar") in the State of Guerrero, Mexico, performed as part of the Atzatzilistli, a traditional Nahua festival asking for rain. This occurs today, for example, in the community of Acatlán (ES) and Zitala (ES) - but, of course, with actual boxing gloves.