The Copa de Zaachila is presented each year by the President of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

to the team that wins the

Serie del Rey The Serie del Rey () is the annual championship series of the Mexican Baseball League (LMB), held since . The champions from the league's two divisions, the North and South Zones, compete in a best-of-seven series, with the winner being awarded ...

. Recent trophy designs contain the design of a china cup found in the archeological zone of Zaachila, Oaxaca.

History

The current trophy was first awarded in 2000. The previous trophy was

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

with

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

paint. The original cup is a work of art in itself as well as an archaeological relic that is part of Mexican history. The relic is a small glass

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...

found in Oaxaca Zaachila. It has a dominant figure of a

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

. The hummingbird is linked to an earthly power represented by a serpent and the divine power that is represented in the turquoise blue of the original canopy. Experts speculate it could have been used for offerings, but do not rule out that it was a drinking cup.

Design

The current trophy was designed in 2000 for the 2000 Serie del Rey and made by IZTA Orfebres Mexicanos. It is worth approximately $15,000. It is made of

sterling silver Sterling silver is an alloy composed mass fraction (chemistry), by weight of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver silver standards, standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. ''Fineness, Fine silver'' ...

. The trophy features a cup and a

mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family (biology), family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species Mimicry, mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly ...

. The base contains an inscription of the year of the series. The new design was presented for the first time at the conclusion of the 2000 Serie del Rey, won by the Saraperos.

Trophy designs

References

{{Mexican League Baseball in Mexico Mexican League