Juegos de Pelota | Ball Games a talk with Ana Claudia Collado

Traditional Games, Living Heritage: A Conversation with Ana Claudia

This event will be conducted in Spanish with English subtitles on a screen.

Join us for a special conversation with Ana Claudia Collado, President of the Mexican Federation of Indigenous and Traditional Games and Sports (FMJDAT), as she explores the importance of preserving and promoting Mexico’s traditional games and sports as part of the country’s living cultural heritage.

In light of the growing global excitement surrounding the upcoming FIFA World Cup, this talk will also reflect on the passion for sports and fandom today, while highlighting the rich history and cultural value of Mexico’s ancestral and community-based games and athletic traditions. This conversation goes hand in hand with our Juegos de Pelota program in which our newest exhibition Sacred Fields and the upcoming projection of the documentary Ulama by Roberto Rochín, take us into the world of traditional sports.

Founded in 1988, the Federation works nationally and internationally to safeguard traditional sports and games through festivals, research, workshops, tournaments, and cultural initiatives recognized by institutions such as UNESCO and CONADE.

📅 Date: Tuesday, June 23
🕡 Time: 6:30 PM
📍 Location: Mexican Cultural Institute (ICM)

Come discover how traditional games continue to connect communities, preserve identity, and celebrate cultural diversity across generations.

This event is part of our progam called Los Juegos de Pelota: Mesoamerican Ball Games, a journey through one of Mesoamerica's most captivating traditions highlighting the past and present of ball games and the invention of the rubber ball and its vulcanization, featuring talks, an exhibit, and a film screening. Learn more