The Mystery at the Maya Ruins

What Kids Say About Carole Marsh Mysteries . . .

“I love the real locations! Reading the book always makes me want to go and visit them all on our next family vacation.

My Mom says maybe, but I can’t wait!”

“One day, I want to be a real kid in one of Ms. Marsh’s mystery books. I think it would be fun, and I think I am a real character anyway. I filled out the application and sent it in and am keeping my fingers crossed!”

“History was not my favorite subject till I starting reading Carole Marsh Mysteries. Ms. Marsh really brings history to life. Also, she leaves room for the scary and fun.”

“I think Christina is so smart and brave. She is lucky to be in the mystery books because she gets to go to a lot of places.

I always wonder just how much of the book is true and what is made up. Trying to figure that out is fun!”

“Grant is cool and funny! He makes me laugh a lot!!”

“I like that there are boys and girls in the story of different ages. Some mysteries I outgrow, but I can always find a favorite character to identify with in these books.”

“They are scary, but not too scary. They are funny. I learn a lot. There is always food which makes me hungry. I feel like I am there.”

What Parents and Teachers Say About Carole Marsh Mysteries . . .

“I think kids love these books because they have such a wealth of detail. I know I learn a lot reading them! It’s an engaging way to look at the history of any place or event. I always say I’m only going to read one chapter to the kids, but that never happens—it’s always two or three, at least!”

—Librarian “Reading the mystery and going on the field trip—Scavenger Hunt in hand—was the most fun our class ever had! It really brought the place and its history to life. They loved the real kids characters and all the humor. I loved seeing them learn that reading is an experience to enjoy!”

—4th grade teacher “Carole Marsh is really on to something with these unique mysteries. They are so clever; kids want to read them all.

The Teacher’s Guides are chock full of activities, recipes, and additional fascinating information. My kids thought I was an expert on the subject—and with this tool, I felt like it!”

—3rd grade teacher “My students loved writing their own Real Kids/Real Places mystery book! Ms. Marsh’s reproducible guidelines are a real jewel. They learned about copyright and more & ended up with their own book they were so proud of!”

—Reading/Writing Teacher “The kids seem very realistic—my children seemed to relate to the characters. Also, it is educational by expanding their knowledge about the famous places in the books.”

“They are what children like: mysteries and adventures with children they can relate to.”

“Encourages reading for pleasure.”

“This series is great. It can be used for reluctant readers, and as a history supplement.”

by Carole Marsh

Copyright ©2014 Carole Marsh/Gallopade International Current Edition ©March 2014 All rights reserved.

Manufactured in Peachtree City, GA Ebook edition Copyright ©2014 Carole Marsh Mysteries™ and its skull colophon are the property of Carole Marsh and Gallopade International.

Published by Gallopade International/Carole Marsh Books. Printed in the United States of America.

Senior Editor: Janice Baker Assistant Editor: Gabrielle Humphrey Cover Design: John Hanson Content Design and Illustrations: Randolyn Friedlander Gallopade International is introducing SAT words that kids need to know in each new book we publish. The SAT words are bold in the story. Look for this special logo beside each word in the glossary. Happy Learning!

Gallopade is proud to be a member and supporter of these educational organizations and associations: American Booksellers Association American Library Association International Reading Association National Association for Gifted Children The National School Supply and Equipment Association The National Council for the Social Studies Museum Store Association Association of Partners for Public Lands Association of Booksellers for Children Association for the Study of African American Life and History National Alliance of Black School Educators This book is a complete work of fiction. All events are fictionalized, and although the names of real people are used, their characterization in this book is fiction. All attractions, product names, or other works mentioned in this book are trademarks of their respective owners and the names and images used in this book are strictly for editorial purposes; no commercial claims to their use is claimed by the author or publisher.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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30 Years Ago . . .

As a mother and an author, one of the fondest periods of my life was when I decided to write mystery books for children.

At this time (1979), kids were pretty much glued to the TV, something parents and teachers complained about the way they do about web surfing and video games today.

I decided to set each mystery in a real place—a place kids could go and visit for themselves after reading the book. And I also used real children as characters. Usually a couple of my own children served as characters, and I had no trouble recruiting kids from the book’s location to also be characters.

Also, I wanted all the kids—boys and girls of all ages—to participate in solving the mystery. And, I wanted kids to learn something as they read—something about the history of the location. And I wanted the stories to be funny. That formula of real+scary+smart+fun served me well.

I love getting letters from teachers and parents who say they read the book with their class or child, then visited the historic site and saw all the places in the mystery for themselves. What’s so great about that? What’s great is that you and your children have an experience that bonds you together forever—something you shared; something you all cared about at the time; and something that crossed all age levels: a good story, a good scare, and a good laugh!

30 years later,

Carole Marsh

Hey, kids! As you see—here we are ready to embark on another of our exciting Carole Marsh Mystery adventures!

You know, in “real life,” I keep very close tabs on Christina, Grant, and their friends when we travel. However, in the mystery books, they always seem to slip away from Papa and me so that they can try to solve the mystery on their own!

I hope you will go to www.carolemarshmysteries.com and apply to be a character in a future mystery book! Well, the Mystery Girl is all tuned up and ready for “take-off!”

Gotta go...Papa says so! Wonder what I’ve forgotten this time?

Happy “Armchair Travel” Reading,

Mimi

About the Characters Christina: Mysterious things really do happen to her! Hobbies: soccer, Girl Scouts, anything crafty, hanging out with Mimi, and going on new adventures.

Grant: Always manages to fall off boats, back into cactuses, and find strange clues—even in real life! Hobbies: camping, baseball, computer games, math, and hanging out with Papa.

Mimi is Carole Marsh, children’s book author and creator of Carole Marsh Mysteries, Around the World in 80 Mysteries, Three Amigos Mysteries, Baby’s First Mysteries, and many others.

Papa is Bob Longmeyer, the author’s real-life husband, who really does wear a tuxedo, cowboy boots and hat, fly an airplane, captain a boat, speak in a booming voice, and laugh a lot!

Travel around the world with Christina and Grant as they visit famous places in 80 countries, and experience the mysterious happenings that always seem to follow them!

Books in This Series #1 The Mystery at Big Ben • (London, England) #2 The Mystery at the Eiffel Tower • (Paris, France) #3 The Mystery at the Roman Colosseum • (Rome, Italy) #4 The Mystery of the Ancient Pyramid • (Cairo, Egypt) #5 The Mystery on the Great Wall of China • (Beijing, China) #6 The Mystery on the Great Barrier Reef • (Australia) #7 The Mystery at Mt. Fuji • (Tokyo, Japan) #8 The Mystery in the Amazon Rainforest • (South America) #9 The Mystery at Dracula’s Castle • (Transylvania, Romania) #10 The Curse of the Acropolis • (Athens, Greece) #11 The Mystery at the Crystal Castle • (Bavaria, Germany) #12 The Mystery in Icy Antarctica #13 The Rip-Roaring Mystery on the African Safari • (South Africa) #14 The Breathtaking Mystery on Mount Everest • (The Top of the World) #15 The Mystery of the Onion Domes • (Russia) #16 The Mystery at the Maya Ruins • (Mexico) #17 The Mystery of the Northern Lights • (Canada) #18 The Mystery at the Taj Mahal • (India)

Table of Contents 1 Shore Leave 2 When in Rome…

3 Welcome to Casa Iguana!

4 Isla Holbox 5 Boat Bumps and Tattoos 6 The Mysterious 365 7 Itchy Chickens!

8 Kukulkan, the Feathered Serpent 9 Twisted Snakes 10 The Eye of the Needle 11 Snakes and Skulls 12 Walls and Wells 13 A Portal to the Underworld!

14 The Sparkling Blanket 15 Timberrrrrr!

16 Echoes and Chirps 17 Trail of Feathers 18 18 Generations of Sadness 19 Oliver’s Been Shark-Napped!

20 A Gift to Kukulkan About the Author Built-In Book Club: Talk About It! Built-In Book Club: Bring it to Life!

Maya Trivia Glossary

1 7 11 21 25 31 37 41 49 55 59 69 77 83 91 95 101 107 115 119 125 126 128 130 132

Mexico

YUCATAN PENINSULA MEXICO

MAYA RUINS

1 Shore Leave “Mimi! Papa! Grant’s missing!” yelled Christina, racing up to her grandparents. Her long brown hair flew behind her as she ran. Mimi and Papa stood on a street corner studying a map of Cozumel, Mexico. They were hard to miss— Mimi in her favorite red cowboy boots and jeans, and Papa sporting scuffed leather boots and a white Stetson hat.

“He was there one second…and then POOF!...he just disappeared!” Christina exclaimed in breathless bursts. “We were at that antique shop over there,” she continued, pointing 1

The Mystery at the Maya Ruins

in the direction of a bright blue building. “The next thing I knew…Grant was gone!”

“Don’t worry, Christina, we’ll find him,” said Papa, throwing his burly arm around her shoulders. “We always do,” he added reassuringly.

“Well, we’d better find him quickly,” warned Mimi. “Our cruise ship will be departing soon, and you know what the announcement said about no-shows.”

“They get left behind!” cried Christina.

Her mind raced. “What if Grant was kidnapped?”

Grant could be a royal pest sometimes, but she shuddered at the thought of her little brother in the hands of kidnappers.

“Well, if that’s the case, I pity the poor kidnappers,” joked Papa. “I expect they will soon be paying us to take him back,” he added with a grin.

“Be serious, Papa,” Mimi said. “We have a missing grandchild on our hands in the middle of Cozumel, Mexico.”

“Okay, then,” said Papa, winking at Christina. “Let’s try these side streets. One of us is bound to find him.”

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Shore Leave

Just around the corner, Grant stood alone in an alley off the main street. He gazed at a spiky, gray iguana sunning itself on a vinecovered, white stucco wall. “Hey, buddy,” said Grant. “Nice to meet you!”

The scaly iguana stared back at him with its beady gray eyes. It began bobbing its head up and down. Grant knew from his Reptiles of Mexico book that iguanas communicate this way, altering the number and frequency of bobs to mean different things.

Grant got down on his hands and knees to imitate his new-found friend. He bobbed his head up and down, too. The iguana flicked its tongue in and out of its mouth. Grant did the same. It moved its head from side to side. Grant followed suit. It slowly whisked its gray-and-brown-striped tail back and forth. Grant wagged his behind iguana-style.

“Hey, I can speak iguana!” exclaimed Grant. He had visions of himself starring in his own TV series—The Iguana Whisperer.

Just then, Christina and Mimi turned the corner onto the alley. Shocked speechless, the

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pair watched the spectacle before them. Grant was crawling around on the ground, bobbing his head, flicking his tongue, and wiggling his behind from side to side.

Christina nudged Mimi and whispered, “Do you think he has heatstroke or something?”

“Hmmm,” Mimi replied, “maybe it’s Montezuma’s Revenge.” She crossed her arms and peered over the top of her sparkly, redrimmed sunglasses.

“Revenge?” wondered Christina. She thought her grandmother might be kidding.

Being a mystery writer, Mimi often shared fascinating and sometimes weird facts with her grandchildren. “But, who would want revenge on Grant?” she asked.

Mimi smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said.

“That’s just another way of saying he has a bad tummy-ache.”

“Oh,” said Christina. Then she spied the iguana perched on the wall.

“Argggh!” cried Christina, stamping her foot. “Hey, lizard boy, snap out of it!” she yelled.

“You’re going to make us miss the ship!”

4

Shore Leave

Jolted back to reality, Grant sprang to his feet. The startled iguana launched itself off the wall and landed smack on top of Grant’s fuzzy, blonde head.

“Yaaaaah!” Grant screamed. “Get it off!

It’s going to eat my brain!” Grant spun around in circles, pawing the air around his head.

THUD! Grant landed, bottom first, in the dusty alleyway, sending the iguana flying through the air. It landed on a soft patch of grass and scampered off into the bushes.

“You have some serious explaining to do, young man,” said Mimi. “But right now, we have to vamanos!”

“Vama-what?” asked Grant, dizzy from his iguana encounter.

“It means ‘Let’s go’ in Spanish!” shouted Christina, as she pulled Grant up by his arm and led him toward the main street.

Spotting Papa, the trio ran to him.

“Mission accomplished, I see,” boomed Papa. “Glad to see you’re okay, kiddo.”

“We’re going to miss the ship!” wailed Christina. “This way!”

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The group raced to the pier, arriving out of breath. They were too late! The massive ship had pulled away from the dock. A rolling wake rippled behind it.

“What are we going to do now?” exclaimed Christina. “All of our stuff is on board!”

In the small space between two metal shipping crates just unloaded onto the docks crouched a man wearing a shiny white suit. He waited in the shadows, watching their every move and listening to their every word!

6

2 When in Rome…

“Unless we can swim super-fast, catch hold of a giant ship with our bare hands, and climb up the side, I’d say we were stranded!” exclaimed Grant.

“If you hadn’t wandered off, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” shouted Christina.

“Well, if you hadn’t dragged me over to that shop to look at boring old junk, I wouldn’t have wandered off!” returned Grant.

Christina shot back, “Well, if you hadn’t—” “Quiet down,” Papa commanded. “I’m on the phone with the cruise line now.”

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After a few minutes, Papa clicked off his phone. “The good news is they put our luggage in storage on the ship. The bad news is the ship doesn’t return here for another five days.”

“So, what are we supposed to do until then?” Christina whined. “All we have are the clothes on our backs!”

“Well,” said Mimi with a twinkle in her eye, “‘When in Rome…’” Her voice trailed off, as she began scrolling through her phone’s contact list.

She dialed a number.

“Wait, we’re in Rome? As in Rome, Italy?” asked Grant. “Let’s get some pizza!”

Christina sighed. “Grant, we’re still in Mexico. ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ is just an expression. It means you do as the locals do.”

“Oh!” Grant replied. “So, does that mean no pizza?”

“Nope, no pizza,” said Christina.

“Listen up, children,” Mimi said above the din of the screeching seabirds. “A dear old college friend of mine lives just north of the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s a short plane ride but we’ll need

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When in Rome…

to leave pronto! Papa, put that ten-gallon hat of yours to good use and hail us a taxi!”

In the taxi, Grant said, “I had a yucky tan once. Well, it was more like a really bad sunburn.”

He rubbed his neck as if remembering how much it hurt.

“No, Grant. It’s not ‘yucky tan’,” said Christina. “It’s you-kah-tahn! The Yucatan Peninsula is where we are now. We’ll be flying to an island just north of the peninsula, right, Mimi?”

“That’s right, Christina,” Mimi answered.

“My friend moved to the island after retiring.”

After a weaving ride through mid-day traffic that left everyone a bit woozy, they rushed to the ticket counter at the small airport.

“I am so sorry,” explained the clerk, a middle-aged man with gentle eyes, “but our pilot just took off.”

“But, sir,” said Mimi. “I just called you twenty minutes ago to book the plane!”

“The man who came here before you said the reservation was for him,” the clerk explained.

“Is there nothing you can do?” Mimi asked.

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“No, not unless you carry a valid international pilot’s license for a small plane, Señora!” the man half-joked. “We have two planes, but only one pilot.”

“Well, it just so happens…” said Papa, stepping forward and plopping his license down on the counter. “I never leave home without it!”

Soon, they were flying over white sailboats dotting the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. “Look, there’s the island,” announced Papa.

“It looks so mysterious,” said Christina.

“Don’t say ‘mysterious’,” groaned Grant.

“It sounds too much like ‘mystery’! And mystery means solving clues when I’d rather be eating!”

“Don’t worry,” said Mimi. “We’re just going to relax for a few days—just until the ship returns to Cozumel. I’m sure there is no mischief waiting for us on such a small island.”

“Famous last words,” said Papa with a hearty laugh. He banked the plane down toward the small airstrip below. “Hang on, crew! We’re in for a bumpy landing!”

10

3 Welcome to Casa Iguana!

Papa helped Mimi and the kids down off the wing of the plane and onto the sunbaked runway.

“Carole, it’s been ages!” exclaimed a trim, dark-haired woman.

“Esmeralda!” Mimi said as they hugged.

“Thank you so much for meeting us here! Has it been ten years already?”

“At least,” the woman replied.

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“It was mighty kind of you to help us find a place on such short notice!” said Papa.

Esmeralda laughed. “So glad you could ‘drop in’! It must be nice to have a pilot in the family!” She winked at Mimi.

She turned to the children. “You must be Christina and Grant. You will have to meet my grandchildren, Eva and Miguel. They are here on vacation, too. You know,” she said with a smile, “your Mimi is a favorite of theirs! They have read all of her mysteries!”

“Everyone,” Mimi said, “this is my dear friend, Professor Esmeralda Zapo.”

“Mucho gusto, nice to meet you all,” said the woman. “Please, call me Professor Z. That is what my students at the university used to call me.”

“Professor Z was a marine biology professor at La Salle University in Cancun,” explained Mimi.

“Yes, I’m retired now,” Professor Z said, “but I couldn’t quite give up my passion for ichthyology.”

“Are you one of those doctors who puts people to sleep before an operation?” asked Grant.

12

Welcome to Casa Iguana!

“No, Grant!” said Christina.

‘That’s anesthesiology. Professor Z is an ichthyologist.

She studies fish,” explained Christina.

“That’s right, Christina,” Professor Z remarked. “I’m actually doing some fascinating work on whale sharks. But I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow. I think you’ll like the hotel—especially you, Grant. It has a cool name.

At least that’s what my grandchildren tell me.”

“What’s it called?” asked Grant excitedly.

“Casa Iguana,” replied Professor Z. “That means House of the Iguana. And it’s right on the beach!”

The color drained from Grant’s face.

Christina couldn’t keep from giggling.

After a short ride on the golf-cart taxi, the gang arrived at Casa Iguana. Bright pink and red bougainvillea flowering vines spilled from giant flowerpots at the entrance to the hotel.

The kids piled onto the comfortable sofas in the waiting area.

“Okay, you’re all checked in. Christina, here is the key to your room—room 18,”

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Professor Z said. “You’re right across from your grandparents.”

She gave Mimi the address to her home and promised to meet them the next day for breakfast.

Christina unlocked the door and placed the key on the bedside table. A small light was on. The air conditioner hummed softly.

“Grant, are you looking for iguanas under the bed?” asked Christina.

Grant was on his hands and knees, peeking under the bed. “I’m sure this place is called Casa Iguana for a reason!” he said.

“You’ve got iguanas on the brain,” said Christina, kicking up her legs and landing perfectly in the middle of her bed.

She grabbed her backpack and dumped its contents next to her. She found her journal and opened it.

Plop! A jade stone fell into her lap. “Hey, what’s this?” she exclaimed. She held the shiny green stone up to the light. It was jagged on two sides.

14

Welcome to Casa Iguana!

Grant popped up from the floor. “You found an iguana?” he asked, looking around wildly.

“No, I found this in my backpack.”

Christina said. “I bet it’s jade!”

Carved on the front of the stone was the head of a strange-looking feathered snake.

Christina flipped the stone over. On the back were some unusual symbols.

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“Can I see it?” asked Grant. He took it and held it up to the light. “Oh, this was in that shop you dragged me to.”

“You saw this there? But, how do you remember this one stone? You weren’t even in the shop for very long!” cried Christina.

“Look at it! It’s cool! Snakes—feathers— shiny green stone! All the stuff I love!” Grant said. “I saw a guy pick it up and study it with a magnifying glass. Maybe he put it in your bag.”

“What? Why would anyone do that?”

Christina huffed and took the stone back from Grant.

“How would I know? He had it last,” Grant wailed. “If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”

Christina quickly closed her hand before Grant could grab it back. “No way!” she said.

“If it really came from that shop, then it doesn’t belong to us! We’ll have to return it as soon as we get back to Cozumel.”

“I guess,” pouted Grant.

“It’s got to be mythological!” Christina said.

“What? Mytha-what-ical?” asked Grant, scrunching his brow.

16

Welcome to Casa Iguana!

“Mythological,” Christina repeated.

Grant turned to look in the mirror. He repeated the word, stretching his cheeks down with his hands. “Mythological...mythological... mythological,” he repeated softly. “What’s mythological?”

“It’s like folklore, legends, fables…you know, stories from a long time ago,” Christina answered. “I noticed these strange symbols on the back,” she said. “I wonder what they are.”

“Oh, those are Maya symbols for numbers,” said Grant.

“What makes you think that?” asked Christina.

“All the dots and lines,” he said. “I found a book about the Maya numbering system on the plane over here.”

“On the plane?” Christina asked. “And I thought you were just wasting your time fogging up the window to draw weird faces on it,” she said.

“I’ll prove it to you,” Grant replied. “And anyway, those were Maya numbers, not faces!”

He wrote the equation on a piece of hotel stationery. “There!” he said, pointing to his

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math. “The dots are worth one and the lines are worth five. The bottom symbol is in the 1’s place, and the top symbols are in the 20’s place.”

“You mean the 10’s place, right?” asked Christina.

“No, the Maya had a 20’s place,” Grant explained. “The top number is 3 plus 5 plus 5 plus 5. That’s 18. Since it’s in the 20’s place, you multiply it by 20.”

“I see,” said Christina. “The bottom is just 5, right?”

“Right!” said Grant.

20’s place

ones place

60 3 X 20= 3 8 1 5 5 5 5

18

5 X 1= 5_ __ _______ = 365

Welcome to Casa Iguana!

“Then, what do you do?” asked Christina.

“You just add the 360 from the 20’s place and the 5 from the 1’s place,” explained Grant.

“365?” guessed Christina.

“Yep! Believe me now?” asked Grant.

“Yes! I’m impressed! I guess the iguana didn’t eat all of your brain!” joked Christina.

Grant rubbed his head, remembering the iguana attack.

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RL 3–5 007–014

$7.99 US

ISBN-13: 978-0-635-11163-0 50799

9 780635 111630

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10430 11024

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