ould you play the same games in Honduras that you do in the United States? You might. Child-

ren in Honduras enjoy many of the same games North Americans do. They go fishing and shoot baskets. They playsandlot baseball — called bate (BAH-tay) in Honduras. They fly kites and ride bikes.Their parents may go horseback riding or play golf and tennis.

Honduras’s best-loved game — the favoriteof kids and adults — is soccer (futbol, FUTE-bawl), one of the most popular sports in theworld. If you lived in Honduras, you wouldspend a lot of time kicking soccer balls.

Besides team sports, Honduran childrenplay many street and backyard games. Some of these are like games you play with your friends (or games your parents

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PlayingGames

Just hanging out! Honduran children, like children everywhere, enjoy playing.

Honduras-Styleby Katherine Swarts

illustrations by Chris Wold Dyrud

Honduras-Styleby Katherine Swarts

illustrations by Chris Wold Dyrud

PlayingGames

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or grandparents remember playing), whileothers may be new to you:

Rayuela (rah-YOU-lah), “pitch and toss,” or hopscotch. A cross is drawn on the groundand divided into seven squares. The squaresare named after the days of the week, startingwith lunes (LOO-ness), or Monday. A playerslides a broken piece of pottery or tile intolunes, hops in after it, kicks the marker out of the diagram with her nonhopping foot, andhops out herself. Then she slides the markerinto martes (MAR-tess), or Tuesday, hops into

lunes and then into martes, and hops backout, kicking the marker ahead of her intomiércoles (mee-AIR-koh-lace), or Wednesday,and then out of the diagram — and so onthrough the rest of the squares. If she stepson a line, lets her nonhopping foot touch theground, or misses the square she was aimingfor, she has to wait for everyone else to take a turn before she can go on. The first player to get through all the squares wins.

El trompo (ELL TROM-poe), “the top.”Tops are spinning toys, usually shapedlike balls with flat crowns and pointedbottoms. Tops in toy stores are often

made of painted wood or metal. But a simpleHonduran top can be made by pounding anail through a piece of wood so the trompobalances on the nail point. (Don’t try this athome unless you know how to use a hammerand nails, and the wood is free of splinters.)A piece of string wrapped around the nailand then snapped free gets the top going.Good trompo spinners can make the topdance all over.

Oa (OH-ah), a game played with a rubberball. A player bounces the ball against a wall

and catches it as it comesback. Before bouncing itagain, he chants out howhe will catch it this time:without moving his feet,without smiling, with onehand, standing on onefoot, after turning halfway

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Good aim! Girls play games at a fair.

Good aim! Girls play games at a fair.

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around, or after turning all the way around. His turn lasts until he misses a ball or catchesit the wrong way.

Las ollitas (LOS oh-YEE-toss), “the littlepots.” Several kids crouch down and pretend to be two-handled pots. A “buyer” comes along,asks for a nice strong ollita, and shakes each“pot” by the “handles.” Pots that “break” whentested are rejected by the buyer.

¿Dónde están las llaves? (DON-day ess-TAWNLOS YAH-bays?), “Where are the keys?” This is a singing game. Two kids stand side by side;everyone else lines up facing them. The first two sing, “Where are the

keys?” The others sing back, “On the bottom of the sea.” “Who goes to look for them?” sing the first two. The other side sings out a player’sname. The pair invite the others to choose aprofession for the selected child. When offered a job she likes, she accepts, and her side “givesher the banner” (formally sends her over). Shewalks to the other side and sings, “Where are thekeys?” with the original two. The game continuesuntil everyone is on the same side (presumablythe keys are found).

There are other popular singing games, many played in a ronda (RON-dah), or circle.

Honduran kids also play tag and hide-and-seek and run races. They like to play with

jump ropes and puppets.Kids from higher-income families have

more expensive toys from stores, toyssuch as racing cars and action figures.But just as in North America, thetoys kids make themselves are often more fun.

Katherine Swarts lives in Houston, Texas. Herprevious articles for FACES include “Near theEnds of the Earth” (May 2006) and “See theWorld Without Leaving Home” (October2006).

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What kid doesn’t like to ride a bike? A Honduran girlgets ready to take hers for a spin. RIGHT: Your turn. Two boys plot to capture the other’s king.

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