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The Maya Today

The construction of houses in Chama today differs little from the past. Some houses have replaced the thatched roof with corrugated tin. Others have chosen instead to use cement blocks for their walls. As time goes on, traditional construction is gradually being abandoned. The new school buildings are in the center of the photograph.

The construction of houses in Chama today differs little from the past. Some houses have replaced the thatched roof with corrugated tin. Others have chosen instead to use cement blocks for their walls. As time goes on, traditional construction is gradually being abandoned. The new school buildings are in the center of the photograph.

Today, 250 families live in the village of Chama, Guatemala. Many of the people had left during the civil wars of the 1980s and returned when peace came. The villagers speak Q'eqchi', one of the more than two dozen Maya languages still spoken in Guatemala and Mexico.