The ceremonial stone yokes of the Classic Period on the Gulf Coast of Mexico were part of the paraphernalia associated with the pan-Mesoamerican ritual ball game. The yokes were probably carved imitations of leather or basketwork hip-protectors and were never work during the actual ball game. They might have been used in religious ceremonies conducted after the game. Yokes were also often buried with what seem to be decapitated and sacrificed players/warriors.

The ritual aspects of this important piece of ball-game equipment have to do with fertility. Stone yokes often depict owls, felines, toads, and serpents, creatures associated with the night sky, earth, and water. This particular yoke seems to be a “toad” type, but it also has elements of the serpent and the cat in its appearance. The elaborate scrollwork designs on the sides of the yoke may be glyphs with a specific meaning, perhaps of water or sprouting vegetation. The ends of the yoke are decorated with carved human heads facing each other. These are possibly portraits of the lords involved in the real ball game, or of the Heavenly Twins who are also often depicted engaged in the supernatural game.