The Mendez family are Mayan Indians who made a dangerous escape to flee the civil war in their native Guatemala.
Guatemala
Materials from Guatemala
Sawdust Carpets
The Lau family travels to Antigua, Guatemala to visit their cousins. Although the Laus are Chinese and Buddhist, they adore the pageantry of Easter, and Easter in Antigua is exciting, with long, elaborate processions of penitents wreathed in incense and carrying colonial Spanish statues down the cobblestone streets of the city. The best part is seeing the elaborate carpets made of colored sawdust, which the processions walk over and destroy. On the morning of the most important procession, the heroine is invited to make her very own sawdust carpet. But why, she wonders, make something so beautiful, only to have it be ruined? Guatemalan and Chinese religious observances, dragon boat races and Easter processions, piñatas, baptisms, and Chinese tamales all weave in and out of this story, which celebrates beauty, religious celebration, and tolerance.
Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Maya
Gives the history of the principal gods and goddesses of the ancient Mayans, including Hunab Ku, Itzamna, Ix Tab, and Ah Puch.
Pascual’s Magic Pictures
Having saved enough money to buy a disposable camera, Pascual goes into the Guatemalan jungle to take pictures of monkeys, but the results are not what he expected.
Celebrate! In Central America
Describes the background and customs associated with some of the festivals of Central America.
Iguana Beach
Little Reina persuades her mother to let her go to the beach with her uncle and cousins, but she has to promise to not go near the waves. It becomes intolerable for her to keep that promise as her cousins frolic in the water–and then she finds a solution to her problem.
Popol Vuh: A Sacred Book of the Maya
One of the few Maya documents to survive the Spanish conquest, the Popol Vuh describes the creation of the Maya universe and of humans. It tells the tale of the Hero Twins, who defeated the gods of the underworld in a ball game, and details the legendary history of the Quiche Maya rulers until their imprisonment and torture by the Spanish. Equivalent to the Bible and the Greek and Roman mythologies, the Popol Vuh is the essential text of Mayan culture.
Colibri
Kidnapped when she was very young by an unscrupulous man who has forced her to lie and beg to get money, a twelve-year-old Mayan girl endures an abusive life, always wishing she could return to the parents she can hardly remember.
Children Of Guatemala
Presents an overview of the history, geography, and people of Guatemala by introducing Mayan, Cakchiquel, Ladino, and Garifuna children.