Joug "yugo" avec décor en relief

creamy white stone, base

Yokes "yugo" are often found on sculpted and painted images of the Mesoamerican ballgame. Like "palmas" and "hachas", they were part of the ball players' equipment.

They were placed around the player's hips and tied with straps on the open side. The yoke not only provided a degree of protection from the ball, but also helped to propel the ball with more force than with the hips alone.

Heavy stone yokes such as this example were most likely reserved for ceremonial use, given as trophies, or placed as funerary offerings, while lighter-weight versions, made of perishable materials such as cloth, wood, or leather, would have been worn during the game.