Tigers Put Their Spin On Mayan Culture

TULUM, Mexico - Antonio Burks took a couple of steps, then leaped over some crumbled stone to get closer to the place the Mayans used to worship thousands of years ago. As he smiled the way only he can, the University of Memphis point guard offered his opinion of the history he was skipping about with the rest of his Tiger teammates.

''To me,'' Burks said, ''this kind of looks just like the projects.'' Sunday was off day for the Tiger basketball team on their exhibition trip to Cancun. So John Calipari hired a bus and rode 90 minutes south to Tulum (too-LOOM) to tour the last, great Mayan city that has been here for hundreds of years and is situated on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. We should point out that Tulum wasn't the only option, though. That's just what Calipari picked instead of - according to the brochures in the hotel lobby - snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, a trip to a water park, fishing, feeding sharks and bull fighting.

That's right, for 300 pesos someone will apparently hand you a red piece of cloth and teach the ins and outs of becoming a matador. ''Fight a bull?'' asked junior Duane Erwin. ''I wouldn't fight a bull. Have you seen (that show on MTV) where the guy tried to fight a bull? Americans just don't fare well fighting bulls.'' But to Calipari's knowledge, Americans tend to fare well touring this ancient, walled city - except for sophomore Jeremy Hunt, of course, who had to do it on crutches. Partly because of that, Tulum got the nod.

When the bus stopped and the Tigers unloaded each with a bottle of water, it was clear they were no longer in the Hotel Zone of touristy Cancun. This was real Mexico, the part Robert Rodriguez makes movies about.

There were people in little huts selling anything from pottery to pipes. Meanwhile, four natives dressed in bright colors sat atop a 100-foot pole, played flutes and worshiped until they spiraled down on something rivaling anything Libertyland could offer.

The Tigers watched in disbelief and snapped photos. Then Erwin offered some insight about the Mayans that got everybody's attention. ''I think they used to eat people,'' he said. ''Like the people from other tribes and stuff.'' When asked how he knew such, Erwin didn't hesitate. ''I took anthropology. I didn't have any choice but to know it. They pound it in your head.''

And so the tour continued, down to the shore where the water seemed much more blue and clear than that close to the Tigers' hotel. The whole team took a picture, then walked to the centerpiece of the city where Calipari told his players the Mayans used to sacrifice humans. At that, redshirt freshman Almamy Thiero suggested that maybe they should sacrifice one of the U of M managers to ensure a good season. But fortunately for the manager, strength coach Rock Oliver stepped in and ended that talk before the rest of the guys had a chance to weigh the pros and cons.

''I think this was good,'' Calipari said. ''We had a day off, and this wasn't too far away, so we decided to let them see it. And I think the guys enjoyed it. They got to see the beauty of all this. And now they can always say as they're going through classes, 'Hey, I was there. I saw that.' ''It was nice,'' Calipari concluded, ''Overall, I think it was a good day.''

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2 posted on 10/13/2003 10:34:00 AM PDT by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)

There are some serious pyramids just up the road from Tulum in the ancient city of Coba. And no, the Mayans didn't eat each other even though they did slaughter each other by the thousands. It is thought that this is the main reason for there demise.I have traveled to the Yucatan many times and the present day Mayans are wonderful people. They are kind and hospitable people and not at all like their violent ancestors.

And no, the Mayans didn't eat each other even though they did slaughter each other by the thousands.

The Aztecs on the other hand....

4 posted on 10/13/2003 11:54:44 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Ignore the propaganda, focus on what you see.)

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