The Meaning Behind Our Name
The name "Kie Balam" translates to "Good Jaguar" in the Mayan language. It was carefully crafted using the linguistic principles outlined in the book Reading the Past: Maya Glyphs by author S.D. Houston. The name combines the Mayan glyph "Kii" (used as a prefix and later stylized as "Kie") with the powerful glyph "Balam" (Jaguar).
Glifo Kii Glifo Balam Kie Balam
Bueno Jaguar El Buen Jaguar
Our Learning Environment
Kie Balam provides a comfortable and inspiring setting designed to enhance your learning experience. Our spacious facilities are designed to accommodate everything from individual, intensive lessons to large groups of up to 50 students.
In addition to our dedicated classrooms, we offer welcoming shared spaces, including a recreation room and a large outdoor patio area where we often host school cookouts and social events.
Kie Balam's Beloved Puppy
In 2004, our founding director, Marlo Mora, rescued a puppy that had been hit by a car right outside the school. Although he survived, his severe injuries meant he was never able to walk properly again.
We adopted him and named him "Popy" (a playful take on the English word "puppy"). For over a decade, Popy lived happily at Kie Balam, welcoming hundreds of students and sharing countless joyful moments. He truly made friends from all over the world!
In 2013, Marlo Mora shared Popy's heartwarming journey in Aspas Literarias, an anthology published by "Los Quijotes," a respected writers' collective in Quetzaltenango.
You can read the original story .
Sadly, Popy passed away in 2020. Our entire Kie Balam family misses him deeply, but we find comfort in knowing we were able to give a second chance to a dog who had been mistreated and left behind. He lived a wonderful life, surrounded by love, until his very last day.
He will always be "Kie Balam's Puppy."
