I also wanted to show readers that descendents of the ancient Mayans, like Nando, still live in Mexico today. Although the Spanish conquistadors devastated Mayan culture by burning books, enslaving people, and bringing disease and death, many of the Mayan people survived. Their descendents are now scattered throughout Mexico, Central America, and the United States. In fact, if you're of Hispanic heritage, there's a chance that your ancestors once lived in the great ancient Mayan kingdoms.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks first to my daughters, Emma and Sophie, who inspired me to begin my writing journey.
Thanks to my writing group, especially Kelley and Susan, for helping me make it through the thorny tangled times.
Thanks to my family, whose support for this book I will always treasure: my grandpa, Ted; my mom, Rondi; my dad, Dave; my step-mom, Stephanie; my mother-in-law, Marcia; my brother, Ethan; and my sister-in-law, Colleen.
Thanks to my husband, Mike, with whom I've shared so many adventures (with many more to come).
Thanks to my agent, Ted Malawer, for his enthusiasm and all those initial excavations!
And finally, a pyramid of thanks to my editor, Julie Tibbott, who worked like a literary archaeologist to help me uncover the heart of the story.
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GLOSSARY
altar a large stone used for religious rituals and offerings
amigas friends
amor love
atole a warm cornmeal drink
balam jaguar
banditos bandits
bienvenido welcome
bisabuela great-grandmother
bonita beautiful
bonjour hello (French)
buenos días good morning
ceiba tree a sacred tree at the center of the Mayan universe, believed to reach from the Otherworld into the heavens
Chac the Mayan rain god
Chac Mool stone statues of a reclining human figure, used in ancient Mayan rituals, including sacrifice
chérie dear (French)
Chichén/Chichén Itzá an ancient city located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico
chicleros men who collected sap from the zapote tree that was then used to make chewing gum
coati a small, racoon-like mammal
Cobá an ancient Mayan city located in the Yucatán
con with
copal a smoky-scented incense made from tree sap, used as offering to the gods. Also known as pom
daykeeper a person who kept track of the calendar days, performed rituals, and read the future
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
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WEBSITES FOR JUNGLE CROSSING
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.
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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
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