Marcos Alberto Sanchez

"(Melody: You believe in all that stuff?)

Not belief. Knowledge."

- Marcos' initial stance on the teachings of his father

Marcos Alberto Sanchez is a major character in Chris Heimerdinger's Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. Marcos first appears as a major antagonist in The Feathered Serpent, Part One, is redeemed as a major protagonist in The Feathered Serpent Part Two, and is a supporting protagonist throughout The Sacred Quest, Kingdoms and Conquerors, Sorcerers and Seers, and Drums of Desolation.

The Feathered Serpent, Part One
Marcos is first introduced when he applies for a job at Jim Hawkins' work. Jim agrees to hire Marcos as a salesman, but is suspicious of Marcos' eagerness to work with him and somewhat familiar features. Unbeknowst to Jim, Marcos is on a mission from his father Jacob Moon, to find out which of Jim's coworkers or bosses Jim would be most likely to kill, in order to frame Jim for murdering said coworker or boss.

As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Marcos is the child of Jacob Moon and his concubine Anna. After Marcos was born, Jacob took him back to ancient times with him and raised him as a full-fledged Gadianton.

Later, Jacob and his men kidnap Jim's daughter Melody to bring back with them to ancient times. When entering the magical cave that will transport them back in time, Jacob orders Marcos to escort a bound and gagged Melody through the cave's tunnels. Marcos guides Melody, then carries her as she eventually falls unconscious. On exiting the cave and entering the land of Melek, Marcos welcomes Melody to the world of the Nephites.

Later, after Melody has her clothes changed, Marcos talks to her and accidentally reveals that they have her uncle Garth Plimpton captured. Marcos also reveals that he is a believer in the ways of the occult, since he was raised by an evil father. When explaining this to her, Marcos lets it slip that he thinks Melody is beautiful and that he wants to instruct her in the ways of his father. Sensing the wrongness of Jacob Moon's ways, Melody declines his offer.

The Feathered Serpent, Part Two
As Jacob Moon and his men are bringing Melody to Jacobugath, Marcos continues to fall in love with Melody. At one point, when Melody accidentally falls off a cliff, Marcos jumps down into the river to rescue her. Later, Melody begins to sway him into realizing that the ways of his father are wrong. When Marcos declares his belief in the ways of Jesus Christ, Jacob exiles him. While in exile, Marcos is found by Jim Hawkins, Harry Hawkins, and their band of warriors. Marcos helps them rescue Melody and Garth from Jacobugath.

In the end, while the Hawkinses and the Plimptons return to the modern day, Marcos stays behind to serve as a missionary in the land of the Nephites.

The Sacred Quest
Five years after the events of the previous book, Melody Hawkins still misses her lover Marcos and hopes that he will one day return. When Melody is in the hospital with ovarian cancer, she says she wishes that Marcos is there. Since Marcos has not been seen or heard from in five years, this drives her younger brother Harry to embark on a quest to find Marcos and bring her back to be with Melody.

While going through Frost Cave, Harry and his stepsister-to-be, Meagan (who followed him on his quest) find Gidgiddonihah lying wounded, who tells them that he had been following Marcos through the cave and was attacked by Pochteca. During the struggle, Marcos had been captured by the Pochteca and brought through the Galaxy Room and into New Testament times.

Towards the end of the book, Harry finds himself in a gladiator arena where Marcos and Gidgiddonihah are being forced to fight. Harry, Marcos, and Gid are able to escape into the surrounding hills. While making camp for the night, Harry reveals everything that's happening back home with Melody, much to Marcos' distress. Marcos decides to go back to modern times while Harry and Gid stay to rescue Meagan and Jesse and also recover the Scroll of Knowledge.

In the epilogue of the book, Jim is sitting by his daughter Melody's bedside when Marcos arrives. Marcos and Melody embrace, expressing love for each other.

The Golden Crown
Marcos briefly appears in the middle of the book, when Meagan, Garth, and Apollus go back to modern times to get help from the rest of the Hawkins clan. Although Melody is starting to recover from the cancer, Marcos opts to stay behind with her while Jim Hawkins, Sabrina Sorenson, and Steffanie Hawkins go back to ancient times to rescue Harry.

After everyone concludes their adventures, Marcos and Melody are married. After the wedding ceremony, Marcos and Melody find that they brand new Toyota 4-Runner has been decorated in shaving cream and Oreos, courtesy of Harry Hawkins.

Warriors of Cumorah
In the beginning, it is established that Joshua Plimpton, who was born in Nephite times, has a personal attachment to the people of the Nephites and likes to talk with Marcos about the Nephites. During one such conversation, Joshua shares his desires to go back in time and prevent the Nephites from being destroyed at Cumorah. Marcos, with the help of Melody, tries to counter Joshua's arguments for saving the Nephites, until Joshua's father Garth takes his son into the other room to talk to him on his own.

In the end, after Joshua and Rebecca Plimpton, Mary Symeon, Meagan Sorenson, Ryan Champion, and Apollus had gotten lost in a time warp while pursuing Todd Finlay, Marcos goes with Jim, Harry, Garth, and Steffanie to try to find them. While Harry and Steffanie go to ancient Babylon, Marcos and Garth go to the time of the Nephites' final days.

Kingdoms and Conquerors
After Marcos and Garth are captured by Nephite soldiers, they discover that Joshua is now eighteen years old and the captain of the army's Fox Division. When Josh is given a mission from Mormon to move the Golden Plates, Marcos and Garth accompany him.

Sorcerers and Seers
Marcos and Garth are accompanying Joshua when Akish ambushes them and steals the Golden Plates, telling Joshua to bring him the sword in exchange for the Plates. Joshua, Garth, and Marcos are tracking Akish when they find an ancient trove of old Nephite and Lamanite artifacts. Joshua and Marcos enter a time warp that brings them to time of the Jaredites, where Akish' wife and family are fighting against Akish. While Akish' wife, Asherah, is attempting to murder a newborn baby, Marcos is forced to shoot her using a pistol he had brought.

Drums of Desolation
Joshua and Marcos are accosted by Akish, who tries to hang Joshua. Joshua is rescued by Marcos, and Akish is soon killed. Marcos, using his "Gift of Tongues," communicates with Akish' curelom Muskah and manages to turn Muskah to his side. Joshua, Marcos, and Muskah later go to the Nephite times again, where they are involved in a battle where Joshua accidentally finds a rift that takes him to New Testament times.