In the ancient mesoamerican ball game, did the losing or winning team get sacrificed?

Question

Mesoamerica

Mayan Civilization

Aztec Civilization

Ball Game

Winners, Losers

Sacrifice

Answer 1

I don't know if the end result of the game was a sacrifice, if there was a sacrifice I'd say the losers, however just surviving the game was a feat in and of itself.  The game was extremely brutal and players were often killed during the course of it.  There may have been sacrifices following the ball games if they were held during times of ceremony, but I'm not entirely sure that the end result involved a sacrifice everytime.

Answer 2

both yes and no...it depends who was playing in the game and it also depends on which group of people you're talking about.  the Aztecs would handle things differently than the Incas and Mayas...and vice versa.  It also depends on the time of year...is it harvest season?  more sacrifices were offered during those time periods....

Answer 3

The ball game was not a competition to the death.  It was more like a modern American football game, maybe rugby would be a better example.  The violence was on the field, it was a rough game where bones got broken and heads smashed on occasion, but not one to determine who was executed, at least not for most of the history.  You have to understand that in the final days of civilizations such as the Maya extreme measures were taken to try and maintain the society.  Mel Gibson's Apocolypto is an inaccurate portrayal of the final days of he Mayan civilization.  The sacrifices shown are in the Aztec style and the Spanish show up 600 years too early.  The ball game was an event that had spiritual and cultro-social significance but was not a means to justify execution.  In fact most of the societies that played the ball game did not have regular sacrifices.  The game is more wide spread than simply Meso America and was played throughout the Caribbean by the Taino and I believe the Caribs as well.  

So the short answer is neither!

Answer 4

It depends, if they were prisoners of war; then yes- losers might get sacrificed, much like the Romans took condemned people and had them fight in the Arena.

But, most of them a pros, even if they are slaves- and slaves aren't cheap to replace!  So I doubt that they sacrificed the losers.