The hammock, great invention
About the history of the hammock
I recently read in "El Sur del Caribe Mexicano" (a free publication on Caribbean tourism), the history of hammocks, those that are hung on the palms and appear in all the Caribbean photos. I found it very interesting.
It turns out that in the Mexican Caribbean the hammock is a traditional place to sleep for a large part of the native population. The Mayan people have traditionally considered the hammock as "a gift from the Gods." Its origin is in the Mayan culture of Central America about 1000 years ago. It was Christopher Columbus who brought the hammock to Europe, where it became a very popular place to sleep for many European sailors generally in the boats.
The Mayans are still masters of this unique, special technique which is multiply reproduced. The first hammocks were woven from the bark of tree Hamack (hence the name). Later this crust was replaced by sisal fiber for their softer and more elastic texture. The cotton has only being used for about 60 years.
In Tulum is very common to see locals selling colorful hammocks on the beach.
The hammock because its nocturnal freshness is used by the Mayans as a resting place, completely replacing the bed and conquering rooms and gardens of all households in the area.
When I was working in the hotel months ago, my fellow Mayan coworkers told me that they always slept in hammocks. It seemed incredible to me. But after 6 months living in the Caribbean and seeing that all indigenous people houses have hammocks hung in living rooms and bedrooms, I'm used to it and thinking about buying one for my living room (I'm still not ready to replace my bed). It is very curious to see how in a Mayan house can be hung and cross three, four and five hammocks at a time, in no more than 20 square meters.
And even better ... according to my Mayan friends there is something called "Hamacasutra". Great, right?.
Researching on the subject ... the fact is that the book exists, is called "Manual Hamacasutra, Mexican heritage to the world" and has some very illustrative drawings.
