Los deportes

1. Los deportes Espanol 1B

2. ¿Cuales son tus deportes favoritos? ¿Cual es el deporte mas popular en los Estados Unidos? ¿Cual es el deporte mas popular en Mexico? ¿Cual es un deporte que ahora no existe?

3. “Pelota” is a game that was played in Mexico before the Spanish conquest. It started sometime between 1200 and 1400 BC with the Olmecs, and ended in 1521, when the Spanish came to conquer the Americas. Only men could play the game. The goal was to get the ball through a hoop that was about 21 feet (7 meters) above the ground. The difficult part? The men could ONLY hit the ball with their hips and their elbows. Because the ball was heavy rubber (it weighed up to 9 pounds!), the men wore a yoke (like what oxen wear around their necks) to absorb the shock. Coe, Michael D.; Dean Snow and Elizabeth P. Benson (1986). Atlas of Ancient America. New York: Facts on File. ISBN0-8160-1199-0. OCLC11518017. p 109

4. During pelota, there was heavy betting during the games—the elite would often wager way too much and be taken prisoner if they lost the bet. The game was deep in religious significance, as well. Some say that it was meant to signify the passage of the sun, and sacrifices were made to appease the gods.

5. The game was played on an I-shaped court. In Xochicalco,the “land of the flowers” there were two types of courts—a practice court, where the hoop was lower, and the official court, where the hoop was higher and more difficult. The ball courts are all different sizes, but always shaped like an I. Satellite photography has allowed people to locate ancient Maya cities by finding the capital I shaped fields in the jungle!

6. Men probably wrapped their hips in tanned deerskin stuffed with wood/whey fibers (it was probably like the armor they wore—cotton soaked in brine to make it stiff, with cotton padding inside).

7. Two teams played the game. The game ended when someone scored a “goal” through the hoop. Historians say that one person from one of the teams would be sacrificed. Who do you think it would be? Surprisingly, archeologists tell us that the person who SCORED the winning goal would be sacrificed. Others, however, insist that it was the captain of the losing team. Why? What is the goal of a sacrifice? Who do you think would have been sacrificed?

9. Obviously, Pelota was a very dangerous game (for the winners and the losers). The ball was really hard, and if it hit someone in the head, it would kill them. What sports exist today around the world that are dangerous?

10. Cual es el deporte mas popular de los Estados Unidos? Cual es el deporte mas popular en Mexico? Contesten… Cuales deportes te gustan? Cuales deportes no te gustan? Cual es tu deporte favorito?

11. Because some people do not have access to television or cable, many Mexican cities put up large screens in the plazas so that people could watch.

12. The 2010 World Cup was played in South Africa. Mexico lost to Argentina, which meant that they were no longer in competition.

13. The final two teams in the World Cup were Spain and Holland—many Mexicans did not root for Spain—why?

14. Your friends from Mexico have decided to come visit, and want to go to a sporting event, but are having trouble deciding which sport they should go to. Since you are a huge fan of _____________, you decide to try to convince them that they should go to a game. In order to tempt them, you decide to describe the game to them. Make sure to include the following: A description of the game that includes • Rules (at least three in Spanish that use COMMAND FORMS) • Equipment (include labeled pictures!) A description of a well known player and his/her position (include a picture if you can, with a description of his/her appearance and personality/talents/position/etc) Where your friends can go to watch the game/event You will present your information to the class WITHOUT notes (you can look at pictures), so make sure to prepare!