Many Mayas in Guatemala still cook with "Three Stone Fires." Basically, this is three stones supporting a steel plate with a fire underneath. The smoke from the fire billows into the kitchen or living area and exits where it can. In one of the slides you can see the smoke pouring from the eaves of the house. To say this is bad for one's health is an understatement. Masons On A Mission, a group I work with, goes to Guatemala each year to build energy efficient, ventilated, wood-fired cook stoves for the Mayas. Tortillas are cooked right on the top, along with beans and rice.The video shows shows a stove being constructed, the Mayas and the happy stove builders. February, 2009

Before going to the highlands around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, I first worked by the dreadful Guatemala City dump for the organization Safe Passage. Here, we constructed two large, wood-fired ovens for the school.