ULAMA
MESOAMERICAN HIP-BALL SPORT
ULAMA
Ulama is a living descendant of the ancient Mesoamerican ballgame, a powerful rubber-ball sport still played in traditional and revival forms in Mexico. In its best-known version, players strike a heavy ball with the hip, relying on timing, balance, courage and body control rather than hands or feet. The game carries deep cultural meaning, linking modern communities with one of the oldest sporting traditions in the world. Today it survives through local play, exhibitions, festivals, cultural education and heritage events, making ulama a rare example of sport as both competition and living history.
THE ULAMA COURT
Ulama is played on a long, narrow court called a taste, which is closer to a marked playing lane than a modern stadium pitch. In modern hip ulama, the surface is usually packed earth, concrete or another hard open area, with boundary lines marked along the sides and a centre line dividing the two teams. This centre line is known as the analco, while the end areas are known as chichis. The court does not need to be grand or permanent, which is part of why the game survives as a community and heritage sport.
A typical hip-ulama court is much longer than it is wide, giving the game a corridor-like shape. Players face each other across the centre line and try to keep the heavy rubber ball moving without sending it out of bounds. The space must be open enough for players to turn, brace, step, twist and absorb the force of the ball with the hip or upper thigh. Spectators often stand or sit close to the court during demonstrations and festivals, giving the game a strong community feel.
Ancient Mesoamerican ballcourts were often more architectural, with stone sides, sloped walls, enclosed end zones and ceremonial surroundings. Those ancient courts varied greatly in size and design, and they carried religious, political and symbolic meaning as well as sporting purpose. Modern ulama should therefore be understood as a living descendant rather than a perfect reconstruction. It keeps the long, divided playing space and the rubber-ball tradition, but today it is usually played in simpler courts, cultural venues, schools, festivals and community spaces.
Simple Rules of Ulama
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Ulama has several forms, but the best-known modern version is ulama de cadera, or hip ulama.
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The game is played between two teams on a long, narrow court called a taste.
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The court is divided across the middle by a centre line called the analco.
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The end areas or end lines are known as chichis.
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The aim is to keep the heavy rubber ball in play and return it to the other team’s side.
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In hip ulama, players strike the ball with the hip or upper thigh.
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Players do not use their hands or feet to control the ball.
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The ball is solid rubber and much heavier than most modern sports balls, so players wear protective waist and hip padding.
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Teams face each other across the analco, similar to a netless volleyball game.
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A rally continues until one team fails to return the ball correctly, sends it out of bounds, or commits a fault.
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A team may score when the opposing team fails to return the ball, lets the ball leave the court, plays it incorrectly, or allows it to pass beyond the end area.
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Points are traditionally called rayas, meaning “lines”, because scores were counted with tally marks.
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Scoring can be complicated because points may be added or subtracted depending on the stage of the game and local rules.
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Some traditional matches are played until a team reaches a set number of rayas, often eight.
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Some modern exhibitions, school versions or organised events may use timed halves to make the game easier to manage.
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Team size can vary by community and event, but hip ulama is usually played with several players on each side.
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Players must stay alert, as the ball can move quickly and awkwardly due to its weight and bounce.
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Good play depends on timing, body position, courage and controlled movement rather than kicking, catching or throwing.
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Because ulama survives in traditional and revival forms, exact rules can vary between communities, tournaments and demonstrations.
Income & Career Possibilities
Career & Income Opportunities in Ulama
Players / Demonstrators
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Ulama does not currently offer a clear professional player route like football, boxing or tennis.
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Most players are community athletes, heritage players, students, cultural demonstrators or members of revival groups.
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The realistic route begins through local communities, cultural centres, schools, universities, traditional sport events or family/community transmission.
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A player may earn small or occasional income by taking part in exhibitions, festivals, public demonstrations, museum events, tourism events or educational showcases.
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Payment may be modest and irregular, sometimes covering travel, food, accommodation, appearance fees or a small event payment rather than a formal wage.
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Strong players can still build value by becoming known as reliable demonstrators, teachers, team leaders or cultural ambassadors.
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The best opportunity is not prize money, but visibility within heritage sport, cultural education, tourism, documentary work and public performance.
Coaches / Teachers
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Coaching is one of the more realistic income routes because ulama needs explanation, safe instruction and cultural context.
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A coach may teach beginners how to move, brace, strike the ball with the hip, protect the body and understand the court.
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Teaching opportunities may exist through schools, universities, community programmes, museums, cultural festivals, indigenous sport projects and heritage organisations.
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Coaches may also work as workshop leaders, introducing the sport to children, tourists, students or visiting groups.
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Because the ball is heavy and the movement is unusual, safe coaching matters more than simply letting people copy what they see.
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Income may come from session fees, workshop payments, cultural grants, school visits, festival work or paid demonstrations.
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The strongest coaches will usually combine playing knowledge with heritage knowledge, because ulama is both a sport and a cultural tradition.
Referees / Officials
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Ulama has a smaller officiating structure than mainstream sports, but organised matches, demonstrations and tournaments still need people to manage play.
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Officials may help mark the court, explain the rules, judge faults, keep score, manage rayas and keep the game moving safely.
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The scoring system can vary by community and event, so officials need to understand the local version being played.
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In festival or public settings, officials may also act as interpreters of the game for spectators.
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This is unlikely to be a full-time career on its own, but it can provide occasional paid or volunteer work around traditional sport events.
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A good official can become valuable to organisers because they help turn a cultural demonstration into a clear, watchable sporting event.
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The route is most likely through local associations, traditional sport federations, cultural organisers, community teams and event experience.
Court, Event & Ground Staff
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Ulama courts are usually simple compared with modern stadiums, but the playing space still needs to be safe, marked and suitable.
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Event staff may prepare the taste, mark side boundaries, mark the analco centre line, prepare the chichi end areas and control the spectator space.
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The surface needs to be firm and clear because players twist, brace, jump and absorb force while striking a heavy rubber ball.
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Festivals and demonstrations may need organisers, stewards, announcers, first aid support, transport staff, equipment handlers and people who can set up the court.
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This pathway is less about permanent groundskeeping and more about event preparation, cultural venue support and safe public presentation.
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Income may come through festival work, municipal events, museums, cultural centres, schools, universities or tourism programmes.
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A practical organiser who can arrange players, equipment, venue space, safety and public explanation may earn more consistently than the players themselves.
Wider Heritage, Media & Support Opportunities
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Ulama creates opportunities beyond the court because it sits at the crossing point of sport, heritage, archaeology, education and identity.
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Historians, archaeologists, anthropologists and museum educators can work with ulama as part of wider Mesoamerican cultural interpretation.
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Content creators can produce documentaries, interviews, short videos, photography, explainers, school resources and heritage sport features.
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Writers and researchers can cover the sport through books, articles, educational material, travel writing, museum text and sports-history content.
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Equipment makers may have a specialist role because the rubber ball, hip protection, belts, wraps and traditional clothing are not standard sports-shop items.
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Tourism and cultural-event workers may use ulama as part of heritage experiences, especially where visitors want to understand living Mexican traditions rather than only ruins and museum displays.
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Grants, public funding, cultural preservation projects and partnerships with schools or museums may be more realistic than commercial sponsorship.
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The most practical income route is often a mixed one: player, teacher, organiser, speaker, guide, researcher, content creator or equipment maker, rather than one single full-time ulama job.
ULAMA
ORGANISATIONS
& LEAGUES
Here is a non-exhaustive set of organisations involved with Ulama worldwide.
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This is the strongest dedicated lead I found.
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AJUPEME USA describes itself as part of an International Mesoamerican Ball Game Association that originated in Mexico and was founded by Armando Uscanga and Reyna Puc.
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Its website lists active US delegations or teams connected with places such as California, San Fernando Valley, San Diego, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and East Los Angeles.
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This is probably the best organisation to mention for people wanting to find modern ulama practice outside Mexico.
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Best for: finding modern ulama groups, demonstrations, practice sessions and US-based participation routes.
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This appears to be the US branch or US-facing organisation for the Mesoamerican hip-ball revival.
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The Nevada Independent describes AJUPEME USA as a nonprofit Mesoamerican Ballgame Association that began in Las Vegas as part of an International Mesoamerican Hip Ball Game Association, originally from Mexico.
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The same report says the league had grown to include teams beyond Nevada, including California, Utah and New Mexico.
Best for: US participation, cultural demonstrations, community teams and revival activity.
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This is a formal university sports association created at UNAM in Mexico.
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UNAM reported in January 2024 that its sports department formalised the Asociación Deportiva de Juegos de Pelota de Hule, Ulama y Pok Ta Pok to promote pre-Hispanic ballgame disciplines.
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It is not just a history society. UNAM specifically mentions ulama de cadera activity, workshops on striking technique, student players and the aim of supporting athletes.
Best for: university sport, research-backed revival, education, workshops and cultural legitimacy.