Winner: Kristine
Well, last week’s record for number of players sure did not last long. Tonight’s mob of 35 players shattered that record and stretched Mistress Daphne’s ability to moderate the game to the limit. However, all ran smoothly as Daphne and Darin, who keeps us fed and hydrated, handled things with their usual poise. As you can see from the photos, tonight’s theme was Mexican, in honor of Daphne daughter Jamie’s impending nuptials near CaboSanLucas.
Jamie and her fiancee Josh travelled in from SanFrancisco for the game and were rewarded with 2nd and 3rd place finishes, just behind our winner, Kristine. In truth, no one’s score tonight was especially good, which just shows how little we all know about our neighbor to the South.
Tonight, baseball fans learned that it’s a good thing the Mets didn’t play ball in the Aztec league, where losers were often sacrificed to the gods, and that Cinco de Mayo means more than cheap margarita’s – it celebrates a military victory.
xx some of tonight’s players
Good Question!: Which archaeological site has Mexico’s largest pyramid?
Choices: Teotihuacan – Chichen Itza – Coba – Cholula
Answer: Cholula
The pyramids at Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza get all the pub, but it’s Cholula in the state of Puebla that tops them all. The State of Puebla, located in Mexico’s central region, has mountains, forests, and valleys, but most scenic is the Popocatepetl volcano near Choula, which by the way, blew it’s top this week and disrupted air travel in Mexico :
Cholula, topped by the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de los Remedios,
with the Popocatepetl Volcano in the background
In the days before the Spanish conquest, Cholula was a sacred city, and also a major commercial centre. Hernan Cortes declared it to be the most beautiful city outside of Spain itself. The area has probably been inhabited for over 3000 years, and the original pyramid may be over 2000 years old.
Each group that dominated Cholula added to the pyramid (technically called a temple, not a pyramid), until it became a massive structure, larger than any of the pyramids of Egypt in volume. The people of Cholula participated in much religious ritual, including human sacrifice, even the sacrifice of children.
Being an important sacred centre, even the Aztec leaders went to Cholula to be annointed. The Aztecs believed that Xelhua, one of the giants from their mythology, had constructed the pyramid of Cholula. But after a time, the Cholula pyramid was left to be overgrown by wild plants, and it disappeared under a mound.
Upon the arrival of Cortés, Cholula was Mexico’s second-largest city, with a population of up to 100,000 by some estimates. It appears that Cortés became aware of a plot against the Spaniards, and decided to make a pre-emptive attack. As a result, thousands were slaughtered by the Spaniards – Cortes claimed 3000 were slain in three hours, but conquistador Bernardino Vázquez de Tapia claimed that the death toll was 30,000. Whatever really happened, the massacre had the effect Cortés wanted, and the people of Mexico were much more inclined to surrender.
The temple was destroyed, and a church, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, was built on the now overgrown pyramid of Cholula.
“We don’t need no stinkin’ badges”
Can’t talk about Mexico without thinking of my fave Mexican movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, John Huston’s treasure hunt classic with Humphry Bogart as drifter Fred C. Dobbs.
This is a great cliff notes version of the movie. Check out the clip near 8:45 for the “We don’t need no stinkin’ badges” scene:
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Tuesday Night Bar Exam 