Chichen Itzá 2003

As long the Earth cycles around the sun, there will be magic in the air. We celebrate the Sun on the Spring Exuinox (21 March) and this year we are heading towards Chichen Itzá in the Mayan quarter of our city.

Kulkulkan the pyramid The great calendar pyramid	We gather on the field in front of the pyramid and hope and pray to the weather Gods for a clear day. When everything goes according to plan we will witness some magical event here.
Kulkulkan the God Read more about the God of knowledge that is also know as Quetzalcoatl Quetzalcoatl.html
Pokatok the Ballgame The famous ballgame that the twin brother Xbalanqué and Hunahpu were excelling in against the Lords of Xibalba. Now is your change to play this game yourself		Program We will have, depending on the amount of teams, several pools, to make sure that people of all timezones can play. Therefore it's necessary to subscribe at least before one week prior to the 21 of March. Teams are made up of two players within the same timezone.
.	Virtual game The events will take place in the former Inca Gold Group that is going to be renamed to Festival Square. To get some flashy scenes, teams will have to work together and post rapidly and in detail.
What are we going to do? Well since the original rules are lost and we're playing the game in a virtual world we're making up new rules (complete list of rules will be posted on the boards). The game is played with two opposing teams on either side of the ballcourt. Purpose of the game is to get the ball through one of the ballrings and of course to prevent the opposing team from scoring. The ball is played with all bodyparts except the hands and feet. And one important rule is that you have to prevent the ball from falling on the ground. When this happens the other team is allowed to pick up the ball (only then it's allowed to use the hands or feet). This is how we will play the game in virtual reality (complete rules will be available prior to the games) The referee throws the ball in the air and each player will have to try and catch it. To make it virtualy interesting it's all going to be based on quick reactions to what is happening... so the first one to post after the referee has brought the ball in action, has caught the ball. Now it's time for some tactics. The player can try to get to a good scoring position or he/she can play the ball to the other player of the team if this person is in a better position on the field. The ball has to be played by both the players of one team, before scoring is possible. If the ball is played to the other team member and this person doesn't post within two minutes, this means that the ball is on the ground and the opposing team can pick it up after a sign of the referee.
Image of the God Kulkulkan at Teotihuacan: Courtesy of: Rainer Feistel Image of Mayan figure: Famsi.org Image of the pyramid: I'm sorry I cannot trace it, but if it's your's, please let me know.