Takalik Abaj...or is it Abaj Takalik?

On Saturday, we came down from the mountains and headed to the Mayan ruins at Abaj Takalik (or Taklik Abaj). This was the first Hoops Sagrado visit to the coast and it took the D.C. kids a few to readjust to the heat and humidity.

The ruins encompass more than 6 sq. kilometers in the area of Retalhuleu (Reu), but only a small portion of it has been excavated. The ruins have both Olmec and  Maya features and the site was once an important center of commerce. It was at its height from around 9 BC to 10 AD.

National Geographic has featured the site prominently so if you would like to read a bit more about it, there is plenty of information out there.

With crazy storm clouds looming and thunder booming in the distance, the visit to Abaj Takalik was educational with a touch of creepiness to it.

Our tour guide did his best to keep everyone's attention and guide us through the site before the deluge (which ultimately never happened).

Cheers to Jionni and Alex who served as our interpreters throughout the visit. 

The students seemed interested for about 75 percent of the tour, which is the most we can ask, and they did ask quite a few questions and take quite a few photos.

 As with almost any Hoops Sagrado endeavor, it wasn't all serious the whole time. There was definitely some time for laughter amid the learning.

No idea what was being said here, but this photo says a lot about our group.

Mayan ceremony

Contrary to some of what you may have read, the Mayan culture and people, while an ancient civilization, are still alive and well today. Like Native Americans in the United States, the Mayans may also be Catholic or Evangelical or whatever, but they still practice many of their ancient beliefs, which again, like the Native Americans, are firmly routed in the importance of respecting nature.

On Friday we took a field trip to our friend and colleague Yaniera's house in Solala. Yaniera's father is a well respected Mayan leader who spends much of his time fighting for the civil rights of Mayans in Guatemala. He is also a Mayan priest (for lack of a better word) and he took some time out of his busy schedule to conduct a Mayan ceremony for us. 

Before the ceremony, all the students received their nahuales. Nahuales are your spiritual guide or totem. A nahual is assigned to each person at birth and has a heavy influence on character and misdemeanor much the same way the zodiac does. However, unlike the zodiac, a nahual is specific to you and the day that you were born, not just the month you were born. Each nahual is associated with an animal of importance to the Maya as well as associated traits, qualities and tendencies.

During the ceremony, which essentially consists of Yaniera's father saying many prayers in Quiche over a bonfire built from many natural objects (and it smelled terrific!), each student was blessed when their nahual was prayed over...the blessing was for a good trip and a good life.

Following the ceremony, we shared a meal with Yaniera and her family, and then headed back to Xela for camps and a Friday night team dinner which was a cookout at the school. The entire cookout was planned by the youngest member of our team, Sebastian Weaver. We'll write more about that soon, but let's just say he was more excited about the cookout than most kids are on Christmas Eve!


As for the weekend, we're off to the coast on both Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday we'll visit Takalik Abaj and then play a game in Reu and on Sunday, it's games in San Felipe and then off to Champerico for a day at the beach! We'll update you soon with tales from those adventures.

Everybody eats...the basketball version

Finally getting around to posting about our Sunday games in San Cristobal. We have been friends with the team captain in San Cris for 14 years and have probably been playing against them for their annual tournament for almost as many years.

The San Cris tournament coincides with the town's annual fair so it's often the first chance for our students to enjoy some of the finer delicacies of Guatemala, like corn-on-a-stick with mustard, ketchup, mayo and cheese...seriously. Or cheese, salt and limon for the sophisticates in the bunch.

The tournament has a notorious history of multiple rain delays stretched over two days, but luckily for us and the people who use the court on a daily/weekly basis, the town paid for a roof...and lights!

First up on Sunday were the Young Guns who played the San Cris older team. The Young Guns trailed for three quarters, but turned on the burners for the fourth and ended up beating men old enough to be their father's by 12 points (stats below).

Hoops Sagrado has a basketball philosophy that everybody eats, meaning that everyone has an opportunity to score. For the first time this trip, everyone on the Young Guns team who got time on the court ate. 

Next up was the Hoops Sagrado Old Heads vs. the San Cris young team (who, let's be honest, aren't looking that young these days). It was touch and go for a while, most likely because certain members of the older Hoops team had a late Saturday night (early Sunday morning), but they settled down and pulled out the two-point victory (see stats below). Nigel and Max made their "Old Head" debut and had great games.

This of course lead to Stat Girl's worst nightmare. The two Hoops teams playing each other. Someone always catches feelings and it's just not fun. Fortunately, for the new Hoops Sagrado, things went relatively well and a hearty thank you to the people of San Cris who stuck around for the final even though their team was not in it.

The Old Heads trailed for 80 percent of the game (see earlier comment about a late night), but turned on the burners when it was necessary and beat the Hoops Young Guns by two almost a the buzzer. While there were definitely some feelings at work after the game, for the most part everyone was a good sport about it.

Following the game, all four teams joined together for a Sunday night meal in the middle of the basketball court before heading back to Xela.

HS Young Guns vs. San Cris Old Heads
Demani: 6P/3R/2A
Sanu: 11P/2R/2A
Daniel: 5P/1R/1A
Miguel: 2P/1R
Manny: 2P/1R/1A
Ronny: 4P/2R/2A
Carlton: 4P/1R
Alec: 4P/4R
Malik: 7P/10R/1A

HS Old Heads vs. San Cris "Young" Guns
Bryan: 9P/4R/2A
Diggs: 12P/6R
Josh: 2P/8R/2A
Hitch: 2P/6R/3A
Mark: 20P/10R/3A
Roppolo: 1P/8R/2A
Nigel: 6P/4A
Max: 2R

HS Old Heads vs. HS Young Guns--because Stat Girl was keeping track of stats for both teams and because there were always a lot of bodies in the way (and because she doesn't get paid to do this stuff), these stats are probably not 100 percent accurate (as Stat Girl has already been told).

Bryan: 7P/5A
Josh: 8P/3R/1A
Hitch: 4P/11R
Mark: 22P/5R/1A
Diggs: 12P/1A
Roppolo: 3A
Jim: 2A
Nigel: 1A
Max: 1A
Malik: 12P/7R
Demani: 2P/2R/3A
Daniel: 14P/2R
Sanu: 10P/1R/1A
Alec: 2R
Ronny: 2P
Manny: 2P/2R
Carlton: 6P

A family business

About 45 minutes from Xela is the town of Momostenango and just before you get to Momos there is a bend in the road and one crazy set of stairs down from the road is the house of Dona Thelma and her husband Louis.

The house, which includes a living quarters, a courtyard and a small work space (oh and of course a space for the chickens and turkeys). The family has been on the property for 150 years (although a portion of the house was destroyed by Hurricane Stan in 2006) and for 150 years they family has created works of art from local wools and fabrics and sold them.

The whole family works in the business of making blankets, scarves and other handicrafts. As soon as a child in the family turns eight, they begin working. An interesting lesson to say the least for many of our Hoops students. 

Each year Dona Thelma and her husband open up their home and hearts to Hoops Sagrado and show us the work that they do and most importantly (to some of us anyway) feed us THE BEST tortillas in all of Guatemala.

The students are encouraged to participate in the day from learning how to make the yarn that is then dyed and used in their many products...

To joining Dona Thelma at her wood-fired stove to try their hand at making tortillas.

After the lessons and the eating, the students often spend some time viewing the families wares and for the folks back home, if you are lucky, they buy stuff.

Hoops Sagrado has worked with Louis and Dona Thelma for more than a decade and they are and will always be one of the greatest parts of our time in Guatemala.

The better angels of of our nature

Just a quick post for now (will post about San Cristobal later), but we thought this was important to share.

Twice so far on this trip (knock on wood there isn't a third time), members of our team have lost a wallet and an iPhone (sigh). One would assume those items were gone, no matter where we were, but especially in Guatemala where money is scarce. That's what one would assume of course and we all know what happens when you assume.

The wallet was left on one of the buses that the students take to the camps each day. The person who lost the wallet (an adult on the trip), went to the bus terminal where all the buses and and restart their routes, found the bus he was on and found his wallet with everything inside.

The phone was lost on Friday at a local restaurant. On Sunday, when we were in San Cris, a young woman came up to our group and handed over the phone. Turns out she knows someone who works at the restaurant who knew we were a basketball team and knew we would be playing in San Cris on Sunday, so they gave her the phone and she brought it to us! This is an amazing story on so very many levels.

Anyway, this just highlights to all of us that there are good people out there everywhere.

Divide and conquer

Saturday was divide and conquer day for Hoops Sagrado. Seven of the team left Xela at 2 a.m. for a hike of Santa Maria and the remaining members of the team met at the more dignified hour of 10 a.m. for a trip to San Andres Xecul to visit the aldea's famous yellow church...which I might also add involved a hike, albeit not one as great at those who hiked the volcano.

We ended our day with a Super Chivos game, which is always a highlight of our time in Xela. 

Santa Maria
At 2 a.m. Ronny, Manny, Alex, Max, Miguel, Nigel, Malik and Sanu met up with adult leaders Alex and Mark along with our friend and their guide Malba for a sunrise hike to the top of Santa Maria.

To put it into perspective, Xela is located at about 7,600 feet above sea level. The peak of Santa Maria, which is an active volcano, although it has not erupted for years, is 12,357 feet.

Of the seven students who braved the trek three, Miguel, Max and Alec, as well as adult leaders Malik, Alex and Mark made it to the top. According to reports, Nigel was pretty darn close and the others gave it their best, but just couldn't make it to the top.

Early reports indicate that it was a really great time, although I don't think any of them are chomping at the bit to climb it again. To quote Alec, "I'm glad I did it, but I'm never, ever, ever doing it again."

San Andres Xecul
The rest of the group, Johanna, Jionni, Carlos, Daniel, Demani and Carlton headed to an aldea about 30 minutes away called San Andres Xecul. Our trip there included almost every mode of transportation including microbus, "chicken" bus and pick-up as well as a lot of walking (although not nearly as much as the volcano group).

The town is known for it's yellow church (pictured) and the "rainbow roofs" which are hand-dyed thread drying on the roofs of houses. The church is in the main plaza of town, but at the top of the hill, there is a smaller yellow church that is symbolic. Mayan ceremonies are held next to the church and frankly, it's a hell of a view from the top of the hill.

Super Chivos
And a super fun day was capped off with a win by the Super Chivos! Often the Super Chivos games are the highlight of our trip (okay, well one highlight), but the Guatemala soccer association has changed the rules about what supporters can/can't do at the games and although the games are still fun and the Chivos won 4-2, the atmosphere just wasn't quite what it used to be. Still, Vamos Xela!

School daze

Friday was the first full day of "normal" for Hoops Sagrado. The students arrived at school at 9 a.m. ready to start their Spanish studies, or for some, their Quiche studies. There was definitely some eye-rolling and heavy sighs when they realized they would be in class till 1pm each day, but between the mid-class break and the settling in time, it really is closer to only three hours of studying.

There are two students working with each teacher and so far, things seemed to be going well. Those with no Spanish skills are learning some basics, including important phrases for basketball and those that have some Spanish under their belts already are expanding their vocabulary.

After classes and lunch with their families, the students spent their first full day in the basketball camps running the clinics and there is already a lot talk about who has the better teams. Because of our shortened time in Guatemala (only three weeks this year), the director's of each school chose the 20 students to participate in the basketball camps, which alleviates the angst that so many of our alumni will tell you comes with cutting children from the team.

Friday ended with a group meal at a local restaurant. Everyone had to get home early because some of the group (about 8 students) needed to be up at 2 a.m. to climb Santa Maria. The rest of the group will visit San Andres Xecul and Saturday will finish up with a Super Chivos game. We'll be sure to follow-up with photos and news from all of our Saturday adventures.