A discussion of the language skills of Maya-speaking children in Mexico describes the relationship of Maya and Spanish languages in this population's education and reports on a study of the construction of orthography by these children. The study first examines how language is used in literacy education and the difficulties of literacy in a language that does not lend itself easily to the available alphabets. Issues in using the indigenous language for instruction are then explored, and it is noted that indigenous languages are not taught as an academic subject in Mexico. The study of orthography in Maya-speaking children involved asking native Maya-speaking fourth-graders, taught in Spanish, to write a list of words in Maya. The distinctions between Spanish and Maya phonology and orthography made by the children are discussed. Implications are drawn for bilingual education. Contains 6 references. (MSE)