Family life - part 2

Most Maya don’t live in stone buildings; our homes are made of adobe, which is basically mud and straw. Our roofs are thatched with straw and we have an earth floor with reed mats and thicker mats to sleep on, so no beds or chairs like you have. Cooking and eating utensils are very important, we make pots from clay and we collect water in what’s called a gourd. Now a gourd is a big vegetable with a hard shell, that we dry out and use to carry and store liquids. We have hair combs made from bone and wood to comb our hair and we also use a comb to prepare wool. All the young girls are taught how to comb the wool and then spin it and weave it into cloth. Our young children don’t start working until they’re around five years old, until then they can wander the compound freely and play with their toys. My little girl’s favourite is her toy dog on wheels, oh yes, we do have wheels you know.