This Sunday the Amazonas de Yaxunah will face off against the Jaguarcitas of Yucatán’s State University.
The game will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday at CORDEMEX field, in Mérida’s north.
Entrance to the game will be free, but bring along some money as like at all sporting events in Yucatán, there are sure to be many treats to be had.
The Amazonas are most famous for the fact that they play barefoot and wear the traditional Mestizo huipil. But make no mistake, though these women play mostly for fun, they are real athletes with a deep passion for the game.
Another feature that makes the Amazonas stand out is that despite all living in Yaxunah, the members of the Amazonas originally came from rural communities across the state and range in age from teenagers to women in their late 50s.
Though the team started off in 2018 as an outlet to simply have some fun, the Amazonas and their barefoot playing style soon captured the attention of everyone in their small town and beyond.
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Nowadays the Amazonas travel almost every weekend across southeastern Mexico to play in exhibition matches. Not bad for a team from a town with a population of just around 600 people.
Among the achievements the Amazonas are most proud of include selling out Mérida’s 15,000-seat Kukulcán Alamo stadium and being invited to play an exhibition match at Chase Field, home of Arizona’s Diamondbacks.
“When I was a little girl, I loved going out and playing with the boys because a girls’ softball team was unthinkable to most in the community,” says Celia Lorenza Chan Canul, who plays first base. “When we got the team together in 2018, at first, my husband did not really approve. But when he saw how happy it made me, he eventually came around and became one of our greatest champions. Now that he has passed away, this game is my way of honoring his memory and the life we built.”
The town of Yaxunah is in the southeast of Yucatán, around 20 miles from the world-famous archaeological site of Chichén Itzá. Despite its small size, the town has quite a lot going for it including an impressive archaeological site, a cenote, and a handful of really good small restaurants.
