The current leg of my four-year journey has taken me to Central America. This was built near San Antonio village in the Cayo District of Belize. I am learning from an Yucatec Maya elder - Javier Mai, Sr. This man is just a living fountainhead of ancient knowledge and I couldn’t be happier that our paths have crossed. I will try to soak up as much as I can during my stay here which is until next spring.
This shelter is an ancient Maya design and probably has been in use since people got to this neck of the woods . Everything came from the landscape and only a knife was used to do all the work.
The leaves come from the bay palm. Even though, it is not the most common palm here to be used for thatching, there is no shortages of it either. In certain parts, you see me basically shingling these leaves, the proper way to do this kind of roof is by going under the previous leaf with the bottom part and over with the top part of your current peace. I was just trying different ways of doing things. It is holding up just as well. When I do the little overhang in the front, that is done the way Senior showed me. The bed is technically a so-called “chiclero” style one. There is an entire shelter by that moniker as well that should come later in my stay here.
Normally, I do my shelters without the use of any cordage or lashings simply because the places I operate in don’t have an overabundance of those materials. The Belizean jungle couldn’t be more different. There is one vine that not only hangs off trees in giant bunches but is quite strong and amazingly flexible to boot. It will take quite a bit of tension and has no problems handling square knots!
The hide I used to make my blanket out of is not local, however. I obtain this from a drum maker while still in Europe. Buckskin - unlike leather - has great insulating properties.
12 дек 2019
