UCLA Latin American Institute’s Bonnie Taub and Fowler curators Matthew H. Robb and Patrick A. Polk discuss the origins of Mesoamerican ball games, looking at ancient vessels from the permanent collection. The curators will then link these insights to the current exhibition of recent photographs by Leopoldo Peña, who documents traditional ball games played by Oaxacan emigrés in California.

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Parking available in UCLA Lot 4, 398 Westwood Plaza, directly off Sunset Blvd | $12/day

About the Exhibition
A longtime resident of Los Angeles, Leopoldo Peña makes photographic works that center on themes of immigration and the environment. Pelotas Oaxaqueñas / Oaxacan Ball Games: Photographs by Leopoldo Peña features black-and-white images of traditional ball games played by Oaxacan expatriates throughout Southern and Central California. Peña’s photographs capture discrete moments—arms reaching toward the ball; pauses in action as players gather their strength; families and friends watching the game from the sidelines—and in so doing document how the game creates and reinforces communal ties.