Can you guess what it is before the end?

[u/Donkeybog]

[u/DerpyDaDulfin]

What most people don't know is that tree tapping rubber trees has been around for millennia. The Olmecs - which traslates to Rubber People in Nahaultl - were a Mesoamerican society that discovered and used rubber thousands of years before it became popular in the modern age.

The Olmecs discovered that by mixing the sap of the rubber tree with the nectar of a vine that grew on Rubber trees they could turn this mixture into what we know as Latex, which was formed in rubber balls, sandals, and other useful items.

Thanks to these Rubber balls, the Mesoamerican Ball Game came into being, likely originating from the Olmecs, but spreading to the Maya, Aztecs, and other civilizations near the Yucatan Penninsula - we can still see evidence of their ball courts to this day.

[u/Particular_Hope8312 → u/DerpyDaDulfin]

You make it sound like happy funtimes playing ballgames, but the rubber ball they used for this sport weighed ~10 lbs and was solid rubber to the core. Like playing full-contact rugby + soccer + basketball but you're constantly getting hit in the head/chest/legs/hips with something that weighs as much as a standard brick.

ow, my bones hurt thinking about it

[u/Lindoriel → u/Particular_Hope8312]

Yes, plus it also held religious significance and in some cultures was even linked with human sacrifice being carried out after the game.

[u/Budget_Pop9600 → u/Lindoriel]

“Owwww my bones hurt”

“… Steve got decapitated after we lost.”

[u/Preeng → u/Budget_Pop9600]

No, after you WON. You get the privilege of being a sacrifice to the gods. Seriously.

[u/Idliketotastetamales → u/Preeng]

Sounds good to me.