Since the early 1400s BCE, people of this era have played one of the earliest known forms of sport involving two teams and a rubber ball played on a field. According to archaeological evidence, Tlachtli (which translates into English as "ball game") is believed to have been played by the civilizations of Mesoamerica, including the Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs, and Toltecs. For these people, gambling was more than a sport. It was a way of resolving conflicts and maintaining social harmony, it was a very important element in the ritual life of these cultures. The most fascinating aspect of this sport is what sets it apart from other ritual events in these cultures. Depending on how you played the ball game, it was a matter of life and death. As wall paintings and sculptures depicting the ball game show, the sport was linked to rituals involving human sacrifice. Surrounded by speculation and myth, the sacred game of Tlachtli remains one of the most fascinating and intriguing mysteries of Mesoamerican civilizations. This article will discuss how this sport played a role in shaping the lives of these pre-Columbian civilizations. Taladoire speculates that the ball game may have originated in the coastal lowlands along the Pacific Ocean (Taladoire 2001:107-108). Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known ball court in the ruins of the city of Paso de la Amada, approximately 3,400 years old. Most believe that by 300 BCE, Tlachtli was already present in most of Mesoamerica. Ceramic ballplayer figurines have been discovered during ceremonial internments in cities such as San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán (the last site of the Olmec civilization) and in areas such as the Oaxaca Valley. Many archaeologists are undecided about when and where Mesoamerican civilization..... .middle of paper ......ndo Horcasitas and Doris Heyden. University of Oklahoma Press, 1971. Fox, John. “Students of the Game: Archaeologists Research Ulema, Americas Oldest Sport.” Smithsonian Magazine April 2006. Heitzman, James, Schenkluhn, Wolfgang. "The world in the year 1000". University Press of America, 2004. Kowalewski, S. “Pre-Hispanic ball fields of the Oaxaca Valley” University of Arizona Press, 1991. Taladoire, E. and Colsenet, B. “Bois Ton Sang, Beaumanoir: the political and Conflicts of the Ball Game in Northern Chiapas,” University of Arizona Press, 1991. Taladoire, E. “Architectural Context of the Prehispanic Ball Game: An Evolutionary Perspective.” Charlotte, 2001. Tokovinin, Alexandre. Divine patrons of the Mesoamerican ball game. Moscow State University. http://www.mesoweb.com/features/tokovinine/Ballgame.pdf. 2002.