|
MAYAN RIVIERA
Feel the Breeze
While a novelty outside the Yucatán Peninsula, here hamacas are a way of life In the Yucatán, hamacas (hammocks) are as common as palapas (thatchedroofs) and as practical as opposable tumbs. While a novelty item outside the region, here they´re a way of life.
Put up and taken down in seconds, the hamacas does away with the need for beds, freeing up every room in the house for daytime duty. In the land of the extended family, where domestic space is at a premium, that's an advantage indeed. Now add that they're easy to carry, easy to install and the coolest way to sleep in the tropics and you've got a winner.
So traditional and widespread is their use that hamaca fixtures are cemented into the walls as the houses go up; only elite, resort housing is occasionally built without them. The hamaca paraphernalia (hooks, fixtures, rope ties) is standard merchandise for markets. Some hardware stores and even supermarkets stock the ropa ties.
Hammock production was, and still is a cottage industry throughout the Yucatán. Entire families participate, so artisans come in all ages and boths sexes. Paamul Caribbean Paradise, Riviera Maya Q. Roo México
The hamaca was brought to the Yucatán Peninsula from the Antilles in the 19th century Hamacas are woven from cotton, silk, nylon or henequén. Fibers are not mixed and threads are dyed prior to weaving. The coolest is cotton; the loveliest, silk; and nylon is the longest-wearing. Silk-like nylon is the biggest seller; it feels like silk and can last for
several years if given the proper care when washing it. The complexity of a hammock depends on the number of colors used by the artisan and whether adornments such as tassels or crocheted borders are added; the time spent on each depends also on size. A single hamaca can take from three days to three months to weave.
The finest are made of silk or silk-like nylon crochet thread. A very thin thread. A very thin thread gives an almost seamless appearance and hamacas de crochet are top-of-the-line and popular wedding gifts among Yucatecans.
Hamacas come in the following sizes with weight the determining factor: Chica (small, for children) at 400 grams; Individual (single), 750; regular (marginally larger than a single), 800;
Mediana Prices range from $ 70 to $ 500 pesos; the ties, which can be made from coarse henequén fiber to luxurious silk-like nylon, go for $ 10 to $ 50.
Slipping into your hamaca (and staying there) looks easy and it is, if you just keep a few things in mind. To rest, lie vertically across the hammock; to sleep, stretch out diagonally, never lengthwise. To climb into a hammock, first stand in front of it, at its midpoint. Sit down; reach back, grab the hammock, pull it up behind you to the level of your head, then ease yourself back .Now raise your feet, insert them into what's left of the hammock in front of you, and push out.
The best place to look for hamacas is in the shops that specialize in them and the markets in Downtown Cancún; the price are better and the selection greater than elsewhere.
Additionally, it boasts two world famous eco-archaeological sites which
offer a great variety of activities and services within an infrastructure capable of
safely receiving hundreds of tourists.
Mayan World: Mayan World |The Last Cupuls - A Mayan Novel |Mayan Riviera Tourist Guide | Reservations:
Mayan-World
Reservations
| Riviera Maya
Travel Guide | Mexico
Travelers Guide | World
Travel Reservations | Mérida
Yucatan Hotels | Playa
Reservations |
Traveling Through
Riviera Maya |
Cancun Travelers |
Traveling
Through Riviera Maya | Cancun
Travelers
Welcome Travel Agencies!!! Riviera Maya Reservations
Raúl Mendoza and N'aloy Vargas Cetina. For further information, reservations and advertising call (999) 9437259 or send an e-mail to: manager@travel-rivieramaya.com |
|