Pelota mixteca
Pelota mixteca is a team sport similar to a net-less tennis game. The players wear sturdy, elaborately decorated gloves affixed to a heavy flat striking surface, using them to strike a small solid ball. The game has roots extending back hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of years.
Today, the game is played in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and Guerrero and in emigrant communities including those in the Mexico City, Los [Angeles, California|Los Angeles] and Fresno areas.
The members of each five-player team take their positions on one-half of a long narrow court—roughly 100 m long by 11 m wide—which has been measured out on compacted soil. To serve, the ball is first bounced on a flat stone, and then struck on the rebound. The complex scoring system is similar to tennis.
Gloves, balls, and variations
The large gloves, which are usually studded with nails, weigh between 3–6 kg. Although the ball was traditionally made of wool, a wide variety of materials are used today:- The most commonly played game uses a ball made of rubber rolled with stocking thread, and fitted with a suede outer lining. The resultant ball weighs about 300–330 grams and measures 8–10 cm in diameter. To differentiate it from other versions, this game is sometimes referred to as pelota mixteca de forro.
- A version named pelota mixteca de hule uses a heavier, 900 gram rubber ball, with no outer lining, often painted in bright colors.
- A version of the game played in the Los Angeles area uses a plastic ball weighing 1–1½ kg.
- The little-known pelota mixteca del valle uses a very light sponge ball which is struck with a wooden paddle strapped to the hand.