Homes

• Traditional Maya homes still follow the design of their ancestors, the roof is usually thatched or tiled, and the walls are made of adobe or cornstalks. Only the more affluent villager can afford to build a home out of concrete blocks or have a corrugated metal roof.

• There are usually no windows and the floors are earthen. The kitchen area is often small fireplace made of stones in a corner of the room, a little apart from the living quarters, and there are usually no chimneys, so the smoke finds its own exit through the roof tiles or eaves.

• Stoves with a small chimney are becoming more available, which helps to reduce the health hazards for both the mother and the baby she carries on her back.

• Typically, every home will have three rooms. The largest room will have an altar that will be decorated with candles, pine needles, flowers, a religious picture, etc.