<P> Ballcourts were also used for functions other than, or in addition to, ballgames . Ceramics from western Mexico show ballcourts being used for other sporting endeavours, including what appears to be a wrestling match . It is also known from archaeological excavations that ballcourts were the sites of sumptuous feasts, although whether these were conducted in the context of the ballgame or as another event entirely is not as yet known . The siting of the most prominent ballcourts within the sacred precincts of cities and towns, as well as the votive deposits found buried there, demonstrates that the ballcourt were places of spectacle and ritual . </P> <P> Although ballcourts are found within most Mesoamerican sites, they are not equally distributed across time or geography . For example, the Late Classic site of El Tajin, the largest city of the ballgame - obsessed Classic Veracruz culture, has at least 18 ballcourts while Cantona, a nearby contemporaneous site, sets the record with 24 . In contrast, Northern Chiapas and the northern Maya Lowlands have relatively few, and ballcourts are conspicuously absent at some major sites, including Teotihuacan, Bonampak, and Tortuguero . </P> <P> It is thought that ballcourts are an indication of decentralization of political and economic power: areas with a strong centralized state, such as the Aztec Empire, have relatively few ballcourts while areas with smaller competing polities have many . At Cantona, for example, the extraordinary number of ballcourts is likely due to the many and diverse cultures residing there under a relatively weak state . </P> <P> Ballcourts vary considerably in size . One of the smallest, at Tikal site, is only one - sixth the size of the Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza . Despite the variation in size, ballcourts' playing alleys are generally the same shape, with an average length - to - width ratio of 4 - to - 1, although some regional variation is found: Central Mexico, for example, has slightly longer playing alleys, and the Maya Northern Lowlands slightly wider . </P>

This photo shows an early mesoamerican structure. what was this structure most likely used for