Old Enough to Vote?
Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids|September 2020
Nelson Mandela, the man who brought democracy to South Africa in 1994, thought everyone over the age of 14 should be allowed to vote. He said young people who had fought for freedom were old enough to help choose the country’s leaders. His bill was defeated, and the voting age was set at 18. That is the same age set in the United States and most other countries. Is this the right age? How do people decide when someone is old enough to vote?
Adele Fasick
Old Enough to Vote?

When America was a new country, just starting out as a democracy, the idea of letting ordinary people vote was revolutionary. The men who wrote the constitution thought voters should be successful men who had experience as farmers or businessmen. Voters should be at least 21 years old and own property. Servants and slaves could not vote and neither could women. During the first few years of our new country, only about half of the white men were allowed to vote in some states.

No one is sure why 21 was chosen as the time when a man became an adult. During the Middle Ages in England, a young man could become a knight at the age of 21 because he had gained his full strength and could wear heavy armor. Gradually, that age was recognized as the time for taking on responsibilities, including voting. When countries around the world adopted voting as a way to choose their leaders, they often set the age at 21 or even higher.

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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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
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 minutos  |
January 2021