PASAJUEGO

The Oaxacan Indigenous Game of Pelota Mixteca

More than two million people from the Mexican state of Oaxaca live in the United States, and some have brought their indigenous ballgame, pelota mixteca, with them. Pasajuego is the name of the court on which the game is played. Games between Oaxacan communities have grown into international tournaments that are played throughout California, Texas, and Mexico. However, the sport is not just a pastime; it also keeps the Oaxacan culture alive and acts as a network for the immigrant community throughout the West Coast. Pasajuego is an introduction to an ancient game and a window into the lives of Oaxacan communities.

THE FILMMAKER

Daniel Oliveras de Ita is a Mexican Anthropologist, documentary photographer and filmmaker who focuses on the use of images as a descriptive tool and a vehicle to narrate experiences and face-to-face stories of diverse cultural realities. He has dedicated more than ten years to the ethnographic research of the Oaxacan indigenous peoples.

Daniel completed his degree in Ethnology at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH), then a master's degree in Amerindian Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid and is currently a Phd candidate, at the Institute of Anthropological Research of the UNAM. He developed his PhD thesis among the Chinantec peoples, researching the Nahualism phenomenon.