The first ballgame played in the Americas, Pok-Ta-Pok was played across Latin America as early as 1650 B.C.E. A rugged sport played with a heavy rubber ball, Pok-Ta-Pok athletes would compete to propel the ball through an elevated hoop using only their hips and torsos - similar to basketball today without the use of the hands. Many variations of the game existed across Mesoamerica with courts being preserved today at numerous cultural sites including Chichen Itza in Mexico. Today, the sports is enjoying a resurgence, and an annual Pok-Ta-Pok World Cup is held in Belize!

"It's like a Blue Wahoos game. It brings people together to eat and drink and be merry and have a good time. It was all about community. You go and you cheer because you know the people that you're supporting. It all goes back to community in the end and bringing people together." - Nikte Cuyuch

The Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok brand identity was developed by Brandiose artist Jacobo Vidal and the Brandiose team. Vidal, a citizen of Mexico City, incorporated many aspects of his Mexican heritage into the Pok-Ta-Pok brand, creating a fierce athlete in authentic, traditional garb playing the sport on the historic Pok-Ta-Pok court overlooked by the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itza. The team's uniform portrays the athlete striking a ball through a hoop on the jersey's sleeve. On the chest, "Pok-Ta-Pok" is written in Mayan glyphs scripted by a Mayan linguist. The colors featured throughout the uniform and logo were chosen by Vidal to represent traditional Latin American artwork.

“For me, to create these identities and to create these logos that represent my culture, my city, and my people is something that I’m proud of and thankful for. I tried to represent the most traditional form of the game. The most epic form of the game, a form that makes people feel proud and identified.” - Designer Jacobo Vidal

“There are so many people who are like ‘You’re Mayan? i thought all those people were dead.’ That’s not true! It’s just, maybe, that you haven’t seen us." - Nikte Cuyuch

While many, correctly, associate the Spanish language with Latin America, Spanish is far from the only language spoken in the region. Today, approximately 50 million people across Latin America are of indigenous heritage, and millions speak languages other than Spanish such as Mayan, Quechua, and Nahuatl as their first language. In total, indigenous cultures represent nearly 10% of the region's population. Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok games will aim to expand the Copa de la Diversión universe by sharing more about the many vibrant cultures and languages that make up Latin America today.

"I’m so proud that the Blue Wahoos are doing this. As my dad says, my antepasados - the people who are no longer with us - are now smiling down upon us because our culture is being shared. And that is the most important thing, that the Mayan culture never dies." - Nikte Cuyuch