Jai alai means merry festival in the Basque language. It is known for the name Pelota (ball) in Spain. A dispute exists where as to where the game originated. Some people think that Hernando Cortez learned that early Aztecs had played it long before he invaded Mexico and that he carried the idea back to Andalusia, Spain. Other historians say jai alai is just a game of handball, with variations supplied by the Basques. They started with the bare hand, progressed to a flat bat, a short basket, and finally to the long curved wicker basket or "cesta." .

             The ball in Jai alai is harder then a golf-ball and is approximately ¾ the size of a baseball. It has been clocked at faster then 150 miles per hour. This makes the movement of the jai Alai ball the fastest of any ball in any sport. It is constructed of virgin de para rubber from Brazil. It is hand wound by a process takes many hours. .

             The basket or cesta has a glove on top. Each player has his preference to the size of the basket. It has a chestnut frame and ribs and reeds used to weave it into a permanent durable shape.

             The rules of Jai alai are simple. The server must bounce the ball once on the service line. Then he scoops up the ball as it bounces and flings it to the other team. The ball must hit and bounce off the other teams wall. Then the other team must catch and throw the ball back in one motion. The game goes on until one of the teams drops the ball. Then the other team gets a point. The game goes on until one team gets 7.

             Gambling and jai-alai go hand in hand. Florida legalized pari-mutuel betting on the sport in 1934, eight years after the first U.S. fronton had been built in Miami. Jai alai joined greyhound and horse racing as ways to wager while in the Sunshine State. In Jai Alai, the public can place bets on who they think will come in first (win), second (place), and third (show). .

             Terminology .

             pelotari - a jai-alai player .

             cestero - maker and repairer of cestas .