
Juego de Pelota
Estructura
It consists of two rectangular structures, with an access stairway, which delimit a “T” shaped uneven court. One end is open and the other closed, and there are no sidewalks. The court has a drainage system, built with sandstone rocks, which prevents water saturation during the rainy season. Another architectural element present in this structure is a hollow located in the second body of Building 19 (on the left side), which possibly had a function similar to a ball game scoreboard.
Steam bath: Associated with the ball game, a steam bath is located at the top of Structure 18. It is a subway enclosure 11.40 m long, 3.80 m wide and 1.79 m deep. It is provided with a steam room with lateral benches, flagstone floor, remains of mud used as plaster on the walls and a quadrangular space where the fire was lit to produce steam by throwing water on the southeast wall of the room. Its proximity to the Ballgame indicates that its sacred functions were linked to the ritual of the game.
Structure 18: It is a rectangular foundation that delimits the south side of a ball court. It is integrated to the peralte of the immediate superior terrace, reason why its height is variable; in the north facade it reaches 4.35 m of height, with four staggered bodies limited by three vertical walls of masonry and a wall in slope located in the second body. In the south façade the height is lower, barely reaching 0.50 m with only one vertical body, which at the same time delimits the Main Plaza. The interspaces between the walls and the top of the building have compacted earth floors. Only in the interspaces of the first body of the north façade was a flagstone floor found.
Structure 22: It is a rectangular structure with a maximum height of 3.90 m and closes the head of the Ball Court on the west side. It is composed of two stepped bodies of low height contained by vertical walls. On the west façade it presents a single body to compensate for the difference in levels on the ground. The west façade is covered by a stairway through which you can access from the court to the top of the building. Possibly it constituted the main ceremonial scene of the Ball Game in Malpasito.
