Sunday, August 13, 2017:
After a long night of going over the "what ifs" of Saturday's close loss, 12 of us boarded the team bus for a nine hour day that would include a visit to the pyramids at Teotihuacán about 50 km from our hotel and an amazing barbacoa lunch.
The city at Teotihuacán's city grid was planned in the early first century AD.
It took us about 90 minutes
to arrive from our hotel
The shopping area
Interesting
1 technique defensive tackle?
Shapely
Artisan goodies
Aztec Warrior on the run
Too big to take home
Ditto
After we all had our free morning shot of tequila in this shop, it was time to enter the archeological park.
The Pyramid of the Sun
The massive Teotihuacán site, about 20 sq km, was once Mesoamerica's greatest city.
This pyramid dates from about 150 AD while the rest of Teotihuacán was developed between 250 AD and 600 AD. It is the third biggest pyramid in the world behind only Egypt's Cheops and Mexico's Cholula.
It is 222 meters long at the base of each of its four sides and 70 meters high.
248 narrow steps to the top
The REALLY long line for the climb
Laurie and I climbed it back on
our honeymoon in 1971
I opted to not climb it once I saw the length of the line, six of our group eventually got out of line after realizing how much exploration time they were wasting.
But these five brave souls were
"Top of the World, Ma!"
From L. to R.: Stewart Efeanyina, Peter Smith, Mike Wood, Mike Garza and Joey Fuentes
Along the Calzada de los Muertos
with the Pyramid of the Moon
in the distance
Great stonework
Steps under repair
Mural of a Jaguar
Stop for a breath of air and
some much needed water
The Pyramid of the Moon
Smaller edifice
The view of the Calzada de los
Muertros from part way up the
Pyramid of the Moon
Another line of people this time
climbing the Pyramid of the Moon
Unlike the Pyramid oaf the Sun, you can only climb up about half way. It is then a no man's land to the top due to preservation issues.
The Patio de los Pilares
Birds carved into the columns
More richly colored murals
Pyramid of the Moon
Calzada de los Muertos with the
Pyramid of the Sun in the distance
Exploring far past the
two main pyramids heading to
La Ciudadela
Housing area?
La Ciudadela
This area of Teotihuacán is believed to have been the residence of the city's supreme ruler. The four side walls topped 15 of these little pyramids enclose a large open space.
The Templo de Quetzalcóatl
A random carved stone block
After two and a half ours roaming this incredible site, it was time for lunch.
The Gang of 12 at a great
barbacoa restaurant just
outside the archeological park
A trio was playing some traditional songs . . .
. . . so we just had to join in
We were damned proud of our effort!
Note the Pyramid of the Sun in the background.
Just for Laurie,
waving goodbye to Acolman
Sunday was also a day of goodbyes as many of our players and coaches were catching flights home throughout the day.
GREAT guys!
Now for a bunch of GREAT game day photos taken by Sue Valdivia and her daughter Susana.
Most stand on their own without explanation.
#8 Erik Perez Marquez
would be the star of our Special Teams
completing two fake passes good for
a two point PAT and a first down on a punt
James Hamilton, scoop and score TD
Pumas Pride
Special Teams talk
I was happy that we blocked a PAT, faked a PAT for a two point conversion, got a first down on a fake punt pass and recovered an onside kick.
Muffing a kickoff that the Pumas recovered, having a PAT blocked and allowing a two-point PAT off of a fake were all negatives of the Special Teams on Saturday.
Special Teams Roll Call
before the contest
Luca Zigliani's Field Goal
Head Coach Jesús Sánchez
QB Jonathan Dally
Although all of our players were a joy to be around, Jonathan (Righetti H.S./Cal Poly SLO) was a cut above the rest.
What a great leader and teammate! If you had 11 Jonathan Dally's on the field, you would be hard, if not impossible, to beat.
Love that young man!
About 27,000+ in attendance
Great Offensive Linemen
to coach, I was blessed
Trophy to the Winner on the left,
Game MVP Trophy on the right
Sportsmanship
Pumas QB was the deserving MVP
Buffet dinner at our
Radisson Paraiso Hotel
Three wonderful meals a day here made for a good experience.
BIG RED, our team bus this week
Now for a few more pictures from our week of practice, mostly from our Friday walk-through at the Olympic Stadium . . .
Interpreting for legendary Pumas
coach Raúl Rivera
Jonathan Dally
With OC Hugo Pointillist and
our seven Offensive Linemen
Again, it was an incredible, first class operation from beginning to end.
A huge GRACIAS to Coaches Jesús Sánchez and Bart Iaccarino for inviting me to be a part of the Europe Warriors!
Europe Warriors II anyone?
No comments:
Post a Comment