Dressed in shorts, a sash and, for men, a bare torso, members of Indigenous Mayan-language, family-speaking peoples celebrate the March equinox with a bit of their ancient ball game in the Guatemalan town of Tecpan. "Mayan ball has ancestral origins that are very important to us in our communities" and is useful "for our culture to continue reclaiming our roots," says Flor Bajacol, 34, one of the fans. The tournament, held in the town hall near the Iximche archaeological site, marks the beginning of a new cycle in the Mayan cosmovision and symbolizes the renewal of energies. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES