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Ulama is a traditional ball sport played in a few communities within the state of Sinaloa in Mexico. It is a descendant of the Aztec version of the Mesoamerican Ballgame, and is one of the oldest continuously played sport in the world.

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Ulama is played on a dirt field, which is divided into two sides by a center line. Ulama has evolved over the years, and today, there are three forms in which the sport is played,

• Hip ulama : Played with 5-12 players on each team. The players can strike the ball only with their hips. A heavy rubber ball (about 7lbs) is used. Players wear leather hip pads for protection.
• Forearm ulama : Played with teams of 1-3 players using a lighter ball on a smaller field. Players have to strike the ball only using their wrapped forearm. This form of ulama is often played by women.
• Ulama de palo : Played with 3 or 4 players per team. A 1lb ball and a heavy two-handed wooden paddle (about 13-15 lbs) is used to play.

The objective in all three forms of game play is to keep the ball inbounds. Points are awarded if, a team misses, hits the ball out-of-bounds, or hits out of turn. The team to score eight points first wins the match wins.

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Similar Sports

• Mesoamerican Ballgame — an ancient sport that was played by people of Ancient Mesoamerica.
• Pelota Mixteca — an ancient game similar to tennis without a net, the ball is hit with decorated gloves.

Related Pages

• Sport in Mexico
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports