Authors: Sydney Salter
digging stick
a long, pointed stick used by Mayans to plant corn
¿Estás listo?
Are you ready?
flint
a hard gray rock, used to make weapons; also starts fires; used in sacrifice
frijoles
beans
gracias
thank you
Great Star
Venus
Hero Twins
the brothers at the center of the Mayan religious book
The Popul Vuh
Hola
hello
impatiens
a plant with pink, red, or white flowers; used to make dye
incense burner
a sculpture used to burn incense for religious worship
jade
a hard green stone that symbolized maize, water, sky, and life; often used for jewelry
kan
snake
Kulkucan/Great Vision Serpent
represented by a feathered serpent; a god of war
"Las Mañanitas" the Mexican birthday song
lip plug
a stone jewel placed in a lip piercing
maize god
a beautiful young god associated with the Hero Twins myth
Middleworld
the earth's surface, where people and animals live
me llamo
my name
milpa
a small field containing several crops, including corn, beans, squash, and melons
mol
monkey
muy
very
obsidian
a dark, glassy lava stone used to make weapons and mirrors
offering
a gift given to the gods
Otherworld/Xibalba
a scary place under the surface of the earth that could be entered by a cave or standing water; ruled by gods of death and other lords
peccary
a wild pig
pom
a smoky-scented incense made from tree sap; burned in Mayan religious ceremonies
por favor
please
prima
female cousin
profesor
teacher
pulque
alcoholic beverage often used in religious ceremonies
quinceañera
a girl's fifteenth birthday tradition that celebrates God, family, friends, music, food, and dance
ramon
a bright green nut often gathered when crops failed
señor
sir
scribe
a person who writes books by hand
sÃ
yes
skull pressing
a practice used to create an elongated forehead, thought to be very beautiful
Snake Mountain
a carving depicted in Chichén Itzá, believed to represent an aspect of creation
sun disk
a symbol of war
tamale
steamed corn dough filled with meat or vegetables and wrapped in cornhusks
taquito
a rolled-up tortilla, stuffed with meat filling and deep-fried
trumpline
a strap attached to a backpack that is worn over the top of the head to ease the burden of carrying heavy loads
turista
tourist
turquoise
a greenish-blue stone used for jewelry
uno
one
vámonos
Let's go!
Wak-Kan, Six Snake
another name for the World Tree
way
wizard-like power
World Tree
a symbol of the center of the Mayan universe
Xibalba/Otherworld
a scary place under the surface of the earth that could be entered by a cave or standing water, ruled by gods of death and other lords
The Mayan people developed a complicated calendar system that was more accurate than the one we use today. To learn more about it go to
www.mayacalendar.com
or
www.michielb.nl/maya/astro
.
To read more about the Hero Twins story, go to
www.mayas.mrdonn.org/herotwins.html
.
To learn more about the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá, go to
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_itza
or
www.smm.org/sln/ma
.
To learn more about the archaeological site of Cobá, go to
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coba
or
www.smm.org/sln/ma
.
To learn more about the archaeological site of Tulum, go to
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/tulum
or
www.smm.org/sln/ma
.
To learn more about Mayan gods and goddesses, go to
www.mayankids.com
.
Do you think you might want to be an archaeologist someday? Go to
www.digonsite.com
for all kinds of fun information about ancient cultures around the world.
SYDNEY SALTER'S fascination with Mayan culture started when she was six years old and climbed down a steep, dimly lit stone staircase to the elaborately carved tomb of King Pacal, a ruler of Palenque. Visiting Mayan ruins, walking through fragrant Mexican marketplaces, and chasing lizards in the jungle ignited Sydney's imagination and led to writing
Jungle Crossing.
Sydney lives in Utah with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and two dogs. She loves reading, writing, cooking, and travelingâespecially to Mexico. She is also the author of
My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters.
FOR TEEN READERS:
My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters
"Complex, likable, believable characters and a fresh, appealing fictional voice pull together this very agreeable summer romance."
âKirkus Reviews
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HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
WWW.HMHBOOKS.COM
JACKET ILLUSTRATION © 2009 BY JOHN WEBSTER; JACKET DESIGN BY CAROL CHU