It dates back to the Mayan civilization An archaeological discovery documenting a football match 12 centuries ago

Researchers in Mexico have unearthed a ninth-century stone carving in the Yucatan Peninsula that depicts two people playing a soccer-like game. Learn the details

Researchers in Mexico have found a stone carving of two people playing a soccer-like game, according to the British newspaper The Times.

The inscription was found on a stone tablet dating back to the ninth century in the Yucatan Peninsula, with a diameter of 32 cm and a weight of 40 kilograms.

The game is known in Spanish as "Pelota Maya".

The weight of the stone indicates that it may have been designed for display, to commemorate an important match.

And hieroglyphic writings are drawings of living creatures, parts of living creatures, or tools that were used as signs in writing, and among the most famous of these ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

"It's rare to find hieroglyphs at this site, and it's rare to find a complete text," says researcher Francisco Pérez Ruiz of the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

The two players appear to belong to rival teams, with one wearing a feathered headdress and a water lily scarf, while the other wears a Mayan headdress known as a snake turban and a protective shield.

According to scholars, the "Peluta Maya" game was a team sport that helped unite the Mayan community, and may have been a way to resolve some conflicts and disputes.

The Maya civilization arose in southeastern Mexico and Central America. Chichen Itza was one of the largest Mayan cities, in which archaeologists discovered 13 courts for the "Pelota Maya" ball game on its territory.