You Are Here: Guatemala - National Geographic Kids

Guatemala is a small Central American country of 13 million people. The Maya civilization was dominant for hundreds years. What's it like for a 14-year old girl today? Meet Keli!

Posts in “Languages” Category

Monday, September 21, 2009
Keli

Mam

In Guatemala people speak many different languages. Where I live we speak the Mayan language called Mam. Everyone in my village speaks Mam and some people speak Spanish. We learn to speak Spanish in school, and that's my favorite class. I don't speak or write English--very few people in my town know English.

My blog has been translated into English so kids in many countries can learn what it's like to live in Guatemala!

I thought you might be interested in how Mam sounds. Here is a video of me counting from one to ten in Mam. Hope you like it!


Here are the numbers.
One: jun
Two: ka b'a
Three: oxa
Four: chaja
Five: jwe
Six: qaq
Seven: wuq
Eight: wajxaq
Nine: b' eljaj
Ten: laj
 

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Photo: Tikal

Maya Mystery

What happened to the Maya civilization?

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Image: Quetzal bird

Quetzal Bird

Guatemala's national bird is threatened.

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