| In Quintana Roo and the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico | | | | Many of the poorest Maya simply put up stick walls |
| huts are commonly known as palapas and there are | | | | with gaps in between meaning that one can actually |
| even hotels that advertise beach palapas to Gringos | | | | see inside the hut. Great for letting breeze in during |
| and Germans. Go figure. Some turistas prefer going | | | | the steamy summers as well as allowing hurricane |
| native. So do many of the natives. | | | | winds to pass through. Not so great for nosey |
| The whole concept of the palapa developed because | | | | neighbors. |
| the Maya of old would farm one area of the jungle | | | | Snakes like palapas too. Our lot in the Maya village |
| for several years and then move to another area. | | | | has a large venomous four- nosed snake and |
| Everything was renewable. The trees they cut for | | | | hopefully one day he doesn't get tired of his |
| palapas would over a 20-30 year period grow back | | | | limestone hole in our back yard and decide to join us |
| and the Maya would not go back into an area for | | | | in our palapa. Sometimes snakes do that when rain |
| that period of time so the jungle could actually | | | | floods them out. Such are the risks of palapa life. |
| rejuvenate. | | | | The roof and frame sit on top of posts dug in the |
| It all worked well since a palapa could be built in a | | | | ground. But these aren't ordinary posts. We use |
| week or two. And jungle men like my friend Poot | | | | zapote tree hearts for this. A zapote tree can fall |
| could build one using just one tool; his machete. But | | | | down in the jungle and the heart of the tree not rot |
| things changed. With population increases land was | | | | for 10 years. Sturdy and durable is an |
| privatized or more commonly turned into 'ejidos' or | | | | understatement; just don't figure you can easily put a |
| communal farms. We live on one and so do many | | | | nail in it because it simply is too hard. Palapa doors |
| Maya. | | | | and windows can be made of an assortment of |
| In one of our huts there is no roof. Hurricane Dean | | | | wooden planks; some more modern Maya put |
| took care of that. It wasn't thatched but we are | | | | screens up to keep out the bugs. |
| converting. We'll have to go out to the ranch and cut | | | | Today's modern palapas have simple cement floors. |
| some guano or palm fronds for the thatches; | | | | In the old days the Maya would build a floor out of |
| fortunately the wooden frame is intact so we don't | | | | limestone rock and then crush more limestone and |
| have to replace that. On the ranch we have an older | | | | put it on top to form a smooth surface. After |
| palapa and amazingly nothing happened to it; one | | | | several months of walking on it the floor would |
| hundred mile per hour winds could not knock it down. | | | | become smooth and as hard as rock. |
| A hurricane will blow the roof off a well constructed | | | | In our Maya village almost everyone has a palapa |
| house since the hurricane winds form a vacuum inside | | | | although the more successful farmers are now |
| the house and the roof is literally lifted off. Not so | | | | building their cinderblock and cement houses. Not me. |
| with palapas. In a bad hurricane the roof will lift up | | | | Those cinderblock houses get too hot. How hot is |
| until the outside and inside pressures equalize, | | | | hot? How about a hundred degrees Fahrenheit with |
| something more modern style constructions cannot | | | | one hundred per cent humidity. A veritable rainforest |
| do. Because of its natural construction the palapa will | | | | sauna; sweating like a pig in the pouring rain. |
| bend but not break. | | | | Unrelenting. |
| The palapa roof is also cooler than conventional | | | | The brutal sun, wind and pounding rain cause cement |
| roofs. What is strange is to see a modern hotel with | | | | and plaster walls to crack even with steel rebar |
| a thatched roof; it's not just the 'look and feel' for | | | | reinforcement. I prefer a genuine real palapa. True, |
| tourists. It's cooler and air conditioning costs in Mexico | | | | when we build our new ranch palapa in the jungle we |
| can be very expensive. Obviously a palapa cannot be | | | | will use nails and wire and bolts to hold the roof |
| air conditioned because it has no insulation. | | | | down. During a hurricane nails and wire hold the |
| The downside to the thatched roof is critters like | | | | palapa together better. |
| rats and scorpions love to make their nests in the | | | | But for all the modern day improvements such as |
| thatches. Last night we heard a rat and sure enough | | | | wire and nails the palapa design remains the same |
| in the morning it had raided our food. | | | | has it has for centuries. My neighbors wonder why |
| Another downside to a thatched roof is that it burns | | | | we don't build a cinderblock house and I can't really |
| easily so smart palapa builders put their kitchen | | | | explain it other than to say I feel more at home in |
| outside and away from the hut. Since most rural | | | | my jungle palapa. Crazy Gringo. |
| Maya still burn wood, the sparks can easily ignite a | | | | When in Rome do as the Romans and when in the |
| dry, thatched roof. | | | | Zona Maya do as the Maya. Good advice that makes |
| The palapa walls can be made of sticks or planks of | | | | sense. Besides, no one can every accuse us of being |
| wood. Our main palapa has walls made of caoba | | | | arrogant or presumptuous as long as we live in a |
| wood; a precious wood like teak or mahogany. It | | | | Maya palapa, even if the walls are made of some |
| may be a hut but it's got some very upscale walls. | | | | very chic caoba wood. |