Travel with Tía — Printable Passport Activity

Story

Long ago, the Aztec built their city on an island in the middle of a lake. Today, Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world. High on a hill sits Chapultepec Castle — once a royal home, now a museum. From the top you can see parks, palaces, and mountains all around.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• la ciudad— the city
• el museo— the museum
• el parque— the park
• el castillo— the castle
• el águila— the eagle

Story

In Oaxaca, families have made art for hundreds of years. Some carve fantastic creatures called alebrijes — dragons, lions, and birds that never existed, painted in every color. In the markets you can hear Zapotec and Spanish, smell chocolate and mole, and watch families weaving rugs on looms.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• el alebrije— the alebrije (spirit animal)
• el mercado— the market
• la plaza— the square
• el arte— the art
• la familia— the family

Story

A thousand years ago, the Maya built a great city in the jungle. At its center stands the Pyramid of Kukulkán. The Maya were expert astronomers — they built the pyramid so that on special days, the sun makes a serpent of light slither down its stairs.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• la pirámide— the pyramid
• el templo— the temple
• el sol— the sun
• la serpiente— the serpent
• los mayas— the Maya

Story

Antigua was once the capital of Guatemala, with cobblestone streets and grand churches. Volcanoes watch over the town, and a famous yellow arch was built so cloistered nuns could walk to a garden without being seen. Earthquakes shook the city long ago, but its beauty still stands.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• el arco— the arch
• la iglesia— the church
• el volcán— the volcano
• la calle— the street
• la campana— the bell

Story

High in the clouds of Costa Rica lives a forest where mist hangs in the trees and moss covers every branch. The resplendent quetzal, a jewel-bright bird, makes its home here. Conservationists protect the forest so wildlife can thrive.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• el bosque— the forest
• el quetzal— the quetzal (bird)
• la hoja— the leaf
• la nube— the cloud
• el árbol— the tree

Story

Cusco was the heart of the Inca Empire. The Inca built temples and roads and terraces high in the Andes mountains. Their stones fit so tightly they have lasted centuries. Today people still walk the old paths to nearby Machu Picchu, the city in the clouds.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• la montaña— the mountain
• la piedra— the stone
• el camino— the path
• el cóndor— the condor
• el imperio— the empire

Story

Rio de Janeiro meets the sea between mountains and beaches. Above it all stands Christ the Redeemer, arms wide open atop Corcovado Mountain. Below, the beaches of Copacabana sparkle, and music fills the air day and night.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• la playa— the beach
• el océano— the ocean
• la estatua— the statue
• la montaña— the mountain
• el cielo— the sky

Story

On the Caribbean coast, Cartagena was a Spanish port full of gold — and a target for pirates. To protect it, people built thick stone walls and a fortress by the sea. Today the walled city glows with balconies, flowers, and color.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• el balcón— the balcony
• el puerto— the port
• el mar— the sea
• la flor— the flower
• la muralla— the wall

Story

In the high desert of Chile, the town of San Pedro de Atacama sits beneath volcanoes. By day, the desert is silent and golden. By night, the sky fills with more stars than you can imagine — one of the best places on Earth to see the Milky Way.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• el desierto— the desert
• la estrella— the star
• la luna— the moon
• el cactus— the cactus
• la arena— the sand

Story

Where Brazil and Argentina meet, the Iguazú River tumbles over cliffs into a giant rainforest. The mist rises so high it makes rainbows. Indigenous Guaraní stories say the falls were born from the anger of a river god.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• la cascada— the waterfall
• el río— the river
• la mariposa— the butterfly
• la selva— the rainforest
• el arcoíris— the rainbow

Story

Deep underground in the Yucatán, sunlight falls through a hole in the roof of a cave, lighting the clear water below. The Maya called these sacred wells cenotes — doorways to another world. At Cenote Suytun, a single beam of light turns the water to glowing blue.

Vocabulary (5 words)

• el cenote— the cenote
• el agua— the water
• la cueva— the cave
• la piedra— the stone
• la luz— the light