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Each time I tried to say something in Kek’chi they all burst out laughing and<br />
mimicking my pronunciation in high-pitched squeals.<br />
...continued from page 58<br />
When I got back I found that Rosendo<br />
had returned from hunting and had prepared<br />
slabs of wood at one end of the cabin,<br />
which were to serve as our sleeping quarters.<br />
He greeted me by saying “hass capey?”<br />
which Veronica told me means “do you<br />
want something to eat?”<br />
I replied “oos,” which means “good, affirmative.”<br />
Soon we were served hot stacks of yellow<br />
and blue corn tortillas along with a bowl<br />
of cooked green herbs called “makui,” which<br />
tasted like spinach. It was a simple meal, but<br />
one that tasted good enough for a king, especially<br />
after the day’s exertion.<br />
I tried to ask Rosendo about the quetzal.<br />
“Rochoch Li Quetzal?” I asked, reading from<br />
62 » revuemag.com<br />
the list of phrases I had in my notebook.<br />
This was supposed to mean “quetzal nest”<br />
but Rosendo just sat there smiling and nodding<br />
at me.<br />
His whole family—wife, three daughters<br />
and two sons—was sitting around the fire<br />
watching with wide-eyed curiosity. Each<br />
time I tried to say something in Kek’chi<br />
they all burst out laughing and mimicking<br />
my pronunciation in high-pitched squeals.<br />
They laughed until they cried as if this<br />
strange alien visitor trying to speak their<br />
language was the funniest thing they had<br />
ever seen.<br />
It was then our turn. Verónica picked up<br />
different articles giving their Spanish or
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