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