The Great Mosque of Djenne
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids|March 2020
Looking like a giant sand sculpture, the Great Mosque of Djenne (JEH-nay) is the world’s largest adobe building.
Gail Skroback Hennessey
The Great Mosque of Djenne

It is also one of the most famous landmarks in Africa. Located in the city’s large market square, the mosque is actually the third to have been built at the site. The most recent mosque was constructed in 1907.

Built using mud bricks (called ferey), the mosque has unique architecture. It is reinforced with large logs of wood (torons) that stick out from the building. The wood pieces extend about two feet. The walls are between 15-23 inches thick. Part of the mosque, which stands on an almost 10-feet-high large platform, is an open prayer courtyard. Several openings in the roof allow for light and fresh air. During the rainy season, terracotta (clay) lids are used to close the openings. There are three tall minarets (prayer towers). If you look at the very top of the different minarets, you can see the shapes of ostrich eggs, symbols of purity and fertility.

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ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2020 من Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

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Animal Central
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

Animal Central

From golden frogs to big cats to colorful birds, the national animals of Central America represent the geography and cultures of the region. For a quick sampling of creatures plain and beautiful, common and rare, read on.

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3 mins  |
January 2021
31 Countries Biosphere
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

31 Countries Biosphere

The Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve is located at a spot where El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras converge. A biosphere is the layer of planet Earth where life exists.

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2 mins  |
January 2021
THE LEGEND OF THE QUETZAL BIRD
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

THE LEGEND OF THE QUETZAL BIRD

A Mayan Tale retold by Pat Betteley illustrated by Amanda Shepherd

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4 mins  |
January 2021
Semana Santa GUATEMALA'S HOLY WEEK
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

Semana Santa GUATEMALA'S HOLY WEEK

What if Easter preparations meant dyeing sand, collecting pine needles, and staying up all night to work on an art project that you knew would be ruined the very next day? Well, welcome to Guatemala’s Semana Santa, or Holy Week.

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4 mins  |
January 2021
ME OH-MAYA!
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

ME OH-MAYA!

The Maya are groups of people who live in parts of Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Their ancestors created a great society. At its peak, from 600-900 C.E., the Maya civilization was more advanced than its neighbors in the Americas.

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3 mins  |
January 2021
Playing Games Honduras-style
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

Playing Games Honduras-style

Would you play the same games in Honduras that you do in the United States? You might. Children in Honduras enjoy many of the same games North Americans do. They go fishing and shoot baskets. They play sandlot baseball—called bate (BAH tay). They fly kites and ride bikes. Their parents may go horseback riding or play golf or tennis.

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3 mins  |
January 2021
LIVING A LONG LIFE IN THE Blue Zone
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

LIVING A LONG LIFE IN THE Blue Zone

Most people would like to live as long a life as possible. No one really knows why some people live longer than others, but did you know that where you live can play a big part in how many years you’ll be alive? If you live in a Blue Zone, chances are that you will live much longer than people in other parts of the world.

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2 mins  |
January 2021
ATTENTION WORLD: Belize Saves Their Coral Reef
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

ATTENTION WORLD: Belize Saves Their Coral Reef

Sea turtles float in clear waters, colorful corals hug the ocean floor, and aquatic animals glide among the mangrove roots. Welcome to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, the second-largest coral reef in the world (Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is number one). Several years ago, this reef was in crisis, heading toward destruction. But the people of Belize fought back to save their reef’s health.

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3 mins  |
January 2021
The Panama Canal
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a 51-mile long canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

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2 mins  |
January 2021
This is Central America!
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids

This is Central America!

It’s time to visit Central America. But first, it helps to know exactly where Central America is. Despite its name, it is the southernmost part of North America, which can seem a little confusing. It makes up most of the isthmus dividing the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and has water on both sides.

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4 mins  |
January 2021