Raul M. Herrera

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Vice President, AJUPEME USA—Turtle Island

Raul M. Herrera is the California Delegate and Vice President of the Ulama Mesoamerican Hip-Ballgame association known as AJUPEME USA - Turtle Island. AJUPEME (Associacíon Juego De Pelota Mesoamericano) is an international association founded by Reyna Puuc and Armando Osario Uscanga in Mexico that has delegations across Central America, South America, Europe, Canada, and the United States. AJUPEME aims to preserve this four-thousand-year-old native sport in order for the next generations to embrace their culture and ancestral heritage with pride and dignity.

In 2019, AJUPEME was featured on both Telemundo and Despierta America for providing youth workshops, cultural presentations, and pop-up demonstrations on the Introduction to Mesoamerican Hip-Ballgame. Itzpapalotl Mesoamerican Hip Ball Team, based out of the City of San Fernando, is currently the only team in the United States to have all four categories: kids, teens, men, and women teams, which allow us to reach out to people of all ages.

AJUPEME’s interactive demonstrations promote physical fitness and encourage the public to experience ulama for themselves. Mesoamerican music and drums are simultaneously played, as players wear their regalia and are covered in body paint during scrimmages and presentations. The Ulama players represent the cosmic celestial transformation between night and day.