SACBEIS

In the middle of the Yucatan jungle, in the Mexican Mayan town of Yaxunah, a group of twelve women and girls gather in the community’s baseball field. Barefoot and dressed in hand-embroidered huipiles, they prepare for practice. They pass out gloves and bats, chat in a mix of Spanish and Mayan, and settle their babies into strollers. Since 2017, the team, known as Las Amazonas, has gathered to play softball, a sport that’s become a source of empowerment for Mayan women in communities along the Yucatan Peninsula.

Where traditionally women are seen as only serving the home, softball has opened doors for them to gather with friends, visit new towns, and change gender stereotypes in their communities. Each season, they arrange games against neighboring teams—agreeing on dates and times, location, and travel. They do this all while taking care of their households and with their husbands cheering them on from the sidelines. 

Working in collaboration with Las Amazonas, Sacbeis explores the influence and cultural impact of the sport in Mayan communities across Mexico. Using photography, installations, and textiles, the exhibition provides a lens into the history of ball games in Mayan culture, examining their shift from ritual to the motivator for breaking barriers.