Ancestral Games Built a Bridge Between Chiapas and Arctic Peoples

What began with a parade of 17 delegations in front of the Palenque Archaeological Zone ended as a national and international gathering that brought ancestral games to different venues across Chiapas and connected Mexican participants with representatives from Alaska, Canada and Greenland.

The opening ceremony on October 17 launched two competitions organized with the participation of CONADE, the Government of Chiapas and the Mexican Federation of Indigenous and Traditional Games and Sports; the ball game, music and traditional dances marked the start of the activities.

The National Indigenous Sports Gathering was held from October 17 to 20 in Palenque and brought together more than a thousand athletes from 17 states, between 18 and 23 years old, in athletics, basketball, 7-a-side football, Purépecha ball and volleyball; Michoacán topped the medal table with nine medals.

Later, the XXVII National Gathering of Indigenous and Traditional Games and Sports moved the activity to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, where delegations from 20 states and three guest delegations took part, with around 700 people and 150 activities including competitions, exhibitions and cultural displays.

Among the expressions shared were ulama, a Mesoamerican game in which the ball is struck with the hip; pelota mixteca, the arihueta race and the lit Purépecha ball, as well as a showcase of seven Arctic Games disciplines presented by representatives from Alaska, Canada and Greenland.

The collaboration with Indigenous and sports organizations from Alaska and Ontario seeks to open exchanges of knowledge and training, while the Mexican competitions keep in circulation practices that are passed down between generations and form part of the identity of their communities.