Mesoamerican civilizations used rubber balls for sports 3,000 years ago
Ancient Mesoamerican cultures pioneered the use of rubber to create bouncy balls for ritualistic sports more than two millennia before Charles Goodyear patented the vulcanization process in the modern era.
The Olmec people were crafting solid rubber balls for their famous ballgame as early as 1600 BCE. By mixing raw latex from rubber trees with juice from morning glory vines, these ancient chemists successfully stabilized the material to prevent it from becoming brittle. This sophisticated chemical engineering allowed them to produce durable, high-bounce equipment for a sport that held deep religious and political significance.
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