Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Ulama

  • 1986
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
17
YOUR RATING
Ulama (1986)
Documentary

Add a plot in your language

  • Director
    • Roberto Rochín
  • Writers
    • José Manuel Pintado
    • Tomás Pérez Turrent
    • Roberto Rochín
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    17
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Roberto Rochín
    • Writers
      • José Manuel Pintado
      • Tomás Pérez Turrent
      • Roberto Rochín
    • 1User review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 1 nomination total

    Photos1

    View Poster

    User reviews1

    8.117
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10motionfilms

    Review

    The ball game was one of the essential cultural forms of Pre Hispanic Mexico. Such was its importance that it has survived today in some remote parts of Nothern Mexico, on the border of the ancient Mesoamerican civilization. This film combines an archaeological rescue, with an ethnological testimony of the present-day game known as Ulama. Special emphasis is placed on the philosophical and ritual meaning of the game, which in cultures before the conquest was a fundamental part of the Pre Hispanic Cosmo vision. Using selected samples of art and architecture, as well as a reconstruction of myths and legends, the film explores the concept of time and movement of the Pre Hispanic cultures, and the relationship between these ideas and the ball game. The essential concepts are shown throughout the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Totonac, Toltec and Aztec cultures. The most important ball courts are displayed, from Arizona to Central America, and finally the film demonstrates the present-day characteristics and variations of Ulama, and its certain relationship with the ball game of Ancient Mexico. The cycle closes with death on the ball court: in the past the player is sacrificed by decapitation, his head rolls down the court like a ball. In the present the player goes down, struck by the solid rubber ball. (that weights 4 kilos).

    Storyline

    Edit

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Country of origin
      • Mexico
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Ulama, el juego de la vida y la muerte
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.