Rubber

Although it is generally accepted that the vulcanization technique, invented by Charles Goodyear somewhere about 1840, was what made rubber useful, this may not be totally accurate.

Around 1600 BC, the Mesoamerican societies of the Mayans and others were able to create their own method. They seem to have been able to combine regular latex with other vegetal materials to create a type of elastic from it.

It indicates that the procedure utilized vine juice to create the elastic shape. In order to play a very violent game of ball in specially constructed and planned ballcourts, they used this to create items like "bouncy balls."

To pay homage to their gods, these ballcourts were typically created at the base of their sacred sanctuaries. Each court has a large playing area with a stone loop fixed on the divider to one side.

The game, known as 'Pok-A-Tok,' was utilized to settle disputes between warring groups and noblemen as well as for amusement and religious devotion. However, the stakes were great, as defeat may result in the losing team's leader (or entire team) being sacrificed to the gods.

With a rubber ball and some basketball and football elements, "Pok-A-Tok" was a game. At each end of the court, there was a stone hoop that the ball had to try to pass through. However, players could only use their thighs and hips to pass the ball and shoot it.