[bears9]

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Roberto Garza will return to his roots Sunday to appear at a Super Bowl celebration in Mexico City.

The veteran Bears guard, whose family emigrated from Mexico to Rio Hondo, Texas, about a year before he was born, will attend a football-themed foot race and a Super Bowl fiesta event.

“I’ve never been to Mexico City,” said Garza, one of 19 Hispanic players currently in the NFL. “So it’ll be a great opportunity to experience the city and then to get a chance to promote the sport that I love.”

The race will feature 32 teams—one for each NFL club—of 80 runners each. The top team, based on average time, will win tickets to watch a telecast of Super Bowl XLII at the fiesta event, which will also include interactive activities and a concert for nearly 10,000 guests.

The popularity of the NFL in Mexico is skyrocketing. In 2005, the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played the league’s first regular-season game outside the United States at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, drawing an NFL-record 103,467 fans.

Garza headed south of the border for Super Sunday - Chicago Bears