An ancient sport where players hit flaming balls with sticks in the dark of night is making a comeback in Mexico.
After dusk, groups of kids run on a cement field with hockey sticks, chasing after a wooden ball set ablaze by gasoline in the town of Ohtenco, outside of Mexico City.
"The fire ball is, well, it's like magic," said Omar Mendoza, one of the teenagers playing "Pelota Phurépecha," as the sport is known. "It's like the equilibrium of the universe; between good and evil. Evil is the darkness and good is the ball."
Storyhunters Damian Mendoza, Pablo Abrahams and John Dickie documented the re-emergence of this mystical sport in our latest dispatch.
Ancient Fire Hockey Makes a Comeback in Mexico from Storyhunter on Vimeo.
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BTW: article says ball is made of wood. The video says it is made of fabric tied with string.