Puerto Morelos to Host 10th Mesoamerican Ballgame Championship

Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo — Puerto Morelos will host the 10th National Mesoamerican Ballgame Championship from Nov. 19 to 22, bringing about 200 athletes from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador to Parque Fundadores.

Mayor Blanca Merari Tziu Muñoz presented the details of the tournament at a press conference, saying the event promotes the history and traditions of Mesoamerican peoples and casts the town as a destination that combines sport, culture and tourism.

“It is a gathering that unites sport, our culture and also our history. This championship puts Puerto Morelos on the national and international map as a destination that promotes sport, culture and the preservation of our traditions,” she said.

Organizers expect an average of 600 spectators per day. The mayor said the competition could also generate business for the municipality’s economic sectors.

Teams from four countries and nine Mexican states

Reyna Puc Diz, president of the Mesoamerican Ballgame Association (AJUPEME), confirmed the international delegations and the Mexican teams taking part. Alongside Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador, competitors will come from Jalisco, Querétaro, the State of Mexico, Mexico City, Tlaxcala, Chiapas, Veracruz and Aguascalientes.

Quintana Roo will field its own squad made up of women and men from communities in the Maya zone and the north of the state. Puc Diz thanked the institutions backing the 10th edition and said the program will include cultural activities across all four days, giving residents and visitors a closer look at an ancestral tradition rooted in the region’s history.

Men’s and women’s categories, 40 teams

Organizers expect 40 teams to compete, each with five starters and two reserves, in men’s and women’s categories. Matches will run daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The official ball is made of solid natural rubber and weighs 4.5 kilograms. According to organizers, it can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

Armando Osorio Uscanga, AJUPEME’s national representative, presented the trophies, designed by sculptor Ricardo Ponzanelli, and screened a chapter of a documentary on efforts to preserve the ancient practice. Osorio said the game brings together three essential dimensions: religious, sporting and military. He also credited Juan Euan, the association’s official photographer, with creating this edition’s poster.

A push for cultural and sports tourism

Pablo Vladimir Casas Gómez, undersecretary of tourism communication and promotion for the northern zone, attended on behalf of state Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra. He said events of this kind help diversify Quintana Roo’s tourism offering and promote experiences tied to history and tradition beyond sun-and-beach travel. He noted that Puerto Morelos has 74 hotels and 8,854 rooms.

Karina Vázquez Díaz, the municipality’s secretary of sustainable tourism, said hosting the championship is significant for the town and pointed out that it coincides with the 10th anniversary of Puerto Morelos becoming a municipality.

Representatives of sponsoring companies also took part in the press conference, including Richard Westell of Dreams Puerto Morelos; Alejandro Israel Sánchez Díaz of Inna Resort & Spa; Fernando Delgado Amézquita of Everland; and Fernando Polca of Hotel El Moro.

Mayor Blanca Merari said the municipality is opening its doors to a tradition thousands of years old and stressed the importance of keeping it alive through sport, culture and international collaboration.