Jungle Crossing (20 page)

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

sí
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 traveling—especially to Mexico. She is also the author of
My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters.

WWW.SYDNEYSALTER.COM

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."

—Kirkus Reviews

HARCOURT
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
WWW.HMHBOOKS.COM

JACKET ILLUSTRATION © 2009 BY JOHN WEBSTER; JACKET DESIGN BY CAROL CHU