Explanation of the hammocks use

A review of the most important uses given to the hammock in rural areas even today, allows us to enter the daily life of the communities and realize how this object is a point of confluence of social life. These uses are:

- For human reproduction

- Such as delivery table

- Like cradle

- Like hunting assistant

- As an instrument of healing

- Resource like Shelling

- As break through

            With respect to the hammock as a place of human reproduction we will mention that among some families in rural areas, it is customary on the eve of marriage, the bride urda a "big hammock" to share with her husband after wedding .

            For people of the city can it seem incredible that a hammock can be used as a delivery table, but for the vast majority of women of the people who for generations have been born, watched them grow and die to his family in a hammock, it is the most natural.

            Midwives in rural areas, like pregnant women, believe that giving birth in a hammock is much more comfortable than a bed. The first argument is used with respect to the adaptability of the hammock to your body and at the time of birth, the pregnant has everything needed to grab hold to force.

            On the other hand, for a pregnant woman it is much more comfortable getting in and out of a hammock that a bed because the first, besides being much cooler, can be placed at the desired height.

            The use of the hammock as the cradle is a fairly common practice, even outside of rural areas. This is due to the characteristics of the hammock, to which you can upload the banks by a knot making it a safe and cool place for kids. Thus they put them at the same time, away from the ground and animals. In addition to all the above advantages, the use of the hammock as the cradle allows the mother sit with your child and rocking, which so far can not be done in any conventional crib.

            The hammock as assistant hunting also plays an important role, as we know this activity is part of the survival strategies of families in rural areas. The hunt is carried out in two different ways: one is called "make whipped" and the other "to spy". The latter is performed during or shortly after the rainy months and is finding somewhere where, naturally, water is stored; Nearby, the hunter chooses a tree to wait for prey.

            So, you can hang your hammock between the branches of trees to make waiting more bearable.

            The technique where the hammock is used as a tool to cure some backaches, unfortunately is not widespread. However some families use and involves winding the hammock around the painful art of the person (who is standing) and pull the ends of the hammock so that this does pressure. Families who have used the hammock in this way think that with pressure, the bones back into place.

            In Yucatan, as in the rest of the country, the diet is based on consumption of grains, mainly corn and beans. Hammocks made with ancient techniques, or thresh the henequen allow faster and with less difficulty than with your hands. The technique involves placing inside the hammock what you want Shelling, close well and hit it with a stick, so that the grains are falling down and peel stays in the hammock. Currently not many families resort to this strategy, because they do not have thick hammocks as before and current risk of breaking.

            The use of the hammock to sit is also an ancient custom in rural areas. The lower-income families generally have only one table and two or three chairs and in some cases even have these things, because traditionally sit on benches, especially when the food is done in around a small three-legged table and by the stove where tortillas are made.

            Because customs described above, the chairs are almost never enough for all family members and less for visits, so the hammocks are used as a seat plus they are much more comfortable.

            The fact that get a visit will yield a chair or bench is a sign of courtesy and kindness, but be offered a hammock goes beyond that, almost always it means a gesture of trust and acceptance the hosts.

            Besides all the uses that have been mentioned, one of the most important remains the use of the hammock to rest comfortably all night, in this regard, older people think that hammocks made with threads of agave are much better than cotton or synthetic fibers, as the latter in the hot season are very hot and the cold are very cold. In addition, under the rocking in nylon can not be placed pieces of medium firewood pinned to sleep with pleasant temperatures, as they run the risk of heat synthetic fiber melts and the person falling off the hammock, as has happened to some.

Hammocks - 60 YEARS TO THE PRESENT

In the second half of the twentieth century, with the introduction of cotton yarn and nylon, which brings about the creation of new stitches to weave and color development as a fundamental element of the design of a hammock; with the change in the type of frame and the opening of the national and international market, the production process of the hammock is completely redefined.

            By not relying on the knowledge and management of the natural environment for the production of fibers and tools, one of the first changes is that, generally speaking, man ceases to participate in the development of the hammocks, remaining well as a predominantly female activity. She is the woman of the house who will decide, based on household economic conditions and availability of time, a hammock is made when and if it will have a commercial purpose or be for their own consumption.

            The ancient technique of contrived hammock with horizontal racks is abandoned, adopting a type of vertical frame that can be transported relatively easily from one room to another and who takes up less space in the house (see illustration and photography).

            With the introduction of cotton yarn or hemp, in addition to the diversification of colors, it gives way to the emergence of a variety of stitches or variations in the form of weaving. In the east were detected up to eleven of these, the most common, "biscotelas" called "raindrop", "dogs" and "nugget".

            As for the method of production of the raw material, money becomes the essential element to start the production cycle, thereby giving rise to a dependency of the poorest families to intermediaries that provide the thread that can not acquire for themselves.

At the upper end a piece of vile observed. The hand position is rotated indicated as sisal fiber to tender corchando

            However, following the recent history of Tixcacalcupul stresses the importance they played in the technical changes outlined both the action of institutions such as the Cultural Missions of the Ministry of Education who taught village women to weave with racks in position Vertical and hemp thread (1964), such as middlemen who created a permanent demand for hammocks for sale, thus helping to strengthen the development of this craft as a subsistence activity that is essential for many families in the village.

            Economic inequality that characterizes rural communities of Yucatan and was accentuated with the arrival of Hurricane Gilbert (1988) influences the different types of hammock that are made today.

            Some families, not having money to buy commercial yarn, resort to the strategy of dismembering the plastic bags in which they are sold fertilizer, rice or sugar and, through the old system corchado, obtain strips plastic thread with which hatched their hammocks. In the same case, lack of economic resources, are those who make their own instruments work using the old techniques. It should be noted that the hammocks that are made in these technical conditions are usually self-consumption.

            However, it has greater acceptance in the market nylon hammock results in other "hook" of low-income families. As already mentioned, this is that the broker provides the thread to weave, compromising the delivery of the product within certain time and a certain level of quality. Usually what the urdidor delivery is the "body" of the hammock, which is called maya wíinkal and the broker ends the piece by adding the "arms", or k'ab in Maya, and Maya eyelet whose name is yiich. This type of production is paid to the producer piecework, or delivered by piece.

            Thus, intermediaries are those who have control of the production process, they determine their demand rhythms and working times, set the price paid to labor and marketing hog.

HAMMOCK BEFORE 1950

In the first half of this century and even before, the traditional preparation of a hammock implied knowledge and management of low characteristic Yucatan jungle, where all the elements necessary for their manufacture were extracted.

            The fiber was used kij or henequen which is preferably planted in solar houses. The period of normal plant growth fluctuated between five or six years, after which already cuts could be made to take advantage of it.

            Once the selection and harvesting of leaves, they proceeded to scrape by using the buroché or pakché, two instruments that have practically disappeared (see illustrations).

            The scraping process consisted of juicing up the road leaving only henequen fiber. Later it was combing her hair and began to dry so that the sun's rays fall evenly on it and drying out fast and uniform. To make the thread with which the hammocks were produced had to corchar this fiber.

            The instrument with which the henequen corcha totally manual way, until now called k'ewel. This is made from a piece of tree bark called Ya'axché (Ceiba pentandra L.) and sisal twine about one meter long. Completing the instrumental is the bil, name given in the Mayan language to the compacted vegetable ash, round and porous consistency and easy release, which is used to keep hands dry while the process of corchado the agave is done that will turn it into thread.

            The frame is the next crucial to the making of a hammock instrument. During the period being intersected outlining tree-tsa tsai '(Neomillspiughia emarginata) Eight rods, as straight as possible, of a length of about two meters long. These rods were used nailing on the floor, forming a square structure in horizontal position and was the basis on which hatched.

            Urdir needles were made from the wood of trees called bojom (Cordia gerscanthus L.), Chacté '(Sweetiepanamensis), subinche' (Platymiscium yucatanum St.) or plum (Spondias lutea).

            Other elements of nature that were used in this process are: leaves ciricote (Cordia dodecandra), used as sandpaper to polish the surface of the wood tsai-Tsa, on which the hammock and cedar resin was hatched ( Cedrela mexicana Roem.) serving for people beginning to corchar agave fiber, it is smeared hands as protection to lessen blisters.

            The participation of all family members in making hammocks was most evident in the process of corchado since obtaining raw materials and manufacturing instruments work matters rested with the head of household and older children. To corchar almost always preferred to work before the sun came up because the cool and damp in the morning gives greater malleability to the fiber.

            The technique used in the warping of the old deck is called "bed or fan." The most important feature is that the base structure (frame) on which working, is positioned horizontally. In this position, given sahuin stitch or the needle it is made from the top down and vice versa.

            Regarding the fate of the hammocks, there are news that they only began to market in the eastern part of the state until the mid-twentieth century.

            Its quality is divided into thin and thick and its size small, medium and large. The quality of a hammock depended on the type of fiber that the yarn is made, being the corcharse, greater pressure and better consistency yarn fineness adopted. A hammock made with thick thread, which desbarataba or break after a few washings, was a hammock of poor quality. However they hammocks "thick" good quality calls were sold. They are called in this way because the yarn thickness was greater than the so-called "fine" hammocks.

            The girls hammocks were made with four pounds of yarn (2 kg.), Two that were used in the warp and two in the manufacture of arms. Median hammocks are hatched with five pounds (2.5 kg.), Three for warping the body and two pounds for arms. The large hammocks were made more than five pounds.

            According to residents of the community, hammocks marketing did not exist before 1915. After this date, we can speak of a kind of regional marketing through intermediaries who were in charge of selling between the different towns of the east of the state. Jutting communities for their good production of hammocks were Tixcacalcupul, Chichimilá and Chemax. People who traversed these populations to go to work in the harvest of gum to the territory of Quintana Roo were the first who started to sell hammocks.

            The coins that circulated at the time were sterling (gold), the horse -the sun and 0720 (pure silver). The price that an intermediary was paid directly to a producer by a median hammock fluctuated between $ 1.50 and $ 1.00; after this hammock sold in any of the chicle populations to $ 2.00 or $ 2.50.

            The frequency with which intermediaries who visited hatched hammocks, was fixed by the latter, who, in contrast to what happens today, had this as a complementary activity and retained control of its production.

            Trade in hammocks made of agave thread still occurred in the second half of the twentieth century, but its demand was still shrinking to almost nothing.

COMMUNITY Tixcacalcupul

Tixcacalcupul is located in the south-eastern state of Yucatan, in adjacency to the end of Quintana Roo. Is well connected because the road linking the city of Valladolid with the town of Carrillo Puerto crosses the town from north to south at kilometer 19.

According to the 1990 census, the population of Tixcacalcupul amounts to 1891 inhabitants (INEGI 1991 ). In most families work in the cornfields combined with the development of two crafts that are hipiles embroidery and warping of hammocks. Regarding the latter, Tixcacalcupul has distinguished himself for some time by the quality of its production (Teran and Rasmussen 1982).

As they tell the old community since the early nineteenth century every family prepared its own hammocks with instruments that were obtained from the mountain by its members, using fibers from two regional agaves: ki or sisal (Agave Sisal Perr) and elche elem (Agave fourcroides). Around the sixties, this way of doing hammocks was losing importance due to the spread of other raw materials that were more suited for sale to the tourism and the use of own people in the region.

 These materials were, first, the cotton or hemp thread and then the nylon thread. Along with the transformation of raw materials they emerged changes in the instruments used to weave hammocks, within families that produce and most commercial importance acquired production. Then we will address in some detail these changes, dividing the exhibition into two stages: the hammock before 1950 and the transformation of the sixties to the present.

Hammocks In Yucatán (México)

The hammock is not only an object of rest, typical Mexican tropics. For those who produce and use in their everyday culture it has many more uses and meanings. In this article we will approach some of them having as a common thread in the research community Tixcacalcupul, located in the eastern state of Yucatan.

            To get an idea of ​​the importance of Yucatecan hammock, it should be noted that along with honey occupies a prominent place as native export product of the state. Thus, during 1991 and 1992 they were sold abroad 76.756 pieces with an approximate value of $ 707us (SECOFI 1993).

            In those same two years, depending on their importance as buyers of this craft major countries were the United States, Germany, England, Switzerland, Canada and the Netherlands (Ibid).

            In addition to this amount of hammocks sold abroad, are those acquired tourism in the resorts of the coast of Quintana Roo and in the cities of Merida and Campeche as well as those traded between the families themselves Peninsula.

            Compared with hammocks that occur in other states of Mexico, the Yucatan has a closed and consistent tissue, areas where artisanal tradition is determinant in the region.

            As for its use among the population of the Yucatan Peninsula, it is widespread in rural communities as the only way to sleep. Not so in cities like Merida, Campeche and Cancun where a large part of the alternating rest population in their daily use of bed during the cold season and hammock in the hottest months.

            Regarding the origin of the hammock, it should be noted that the specialists place it in the Caribbean, since before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Peninsula he slept on beds of palm mats and poles (Landa 1978: 34).

6 Good Reasons for sleep in a hammock

1. The dream is reconciled faster Lying in a hammock creates a natural rhythm. This promotes relaxation rate at a level that even science endeavors to study. Moreover, it is said that the result of being wrapped in a containment net is reminiscent of the matrix.

 2. Zero pressure points When you sleep on the floor, each contact point triggers discomfort signals to your brain that remind you that it is not comfortable. So you move, you turn around and you're never comfortable. But this is an alternative that offers a relaxed environment zero pressure points.

3. deepest sleep Now you're asleep faster and no longer give laps. What could be better than this? Studies have shown that swinging can help synchronize brain activity and promote sleep. So you'll get a real rest and wake up more refreshed.

 4. Do not make the bed anymore Leave your room tidy never been easier. Now, all you have to do is pick up and fold the hammock in a corner. The you can wash every week along with your clothes and have a clean bed. For cold nights, put a blanket under and go.

 5. The hammocks are good for health If you sleep well, you live well. Hospital beds are designed to lay the patient lying on his back, with the head slightly elevated. This position gives the brain optimal blood circulation and improves breathing. Interestingly, this is the same position that offer hammocks.

 6. Comfort If you find the right, sleeping in a hammock will be one of the most comfortable moments of your life. The right style hammock and hanging fair size with correct angles are critical points. Just lie down in the middle, like a diagonal and close your eyes.

Como instalar hamaquero para tornillos

Use of Hammocks

Getting in of a hammock
Sit with your back to the hammock, as if about to sit in a chair. Grasp behind you and out the hammock before sitting. This ensures maximum use of space and the weight is distributed evenly. Now sit back and lean back NEVER climb in feet first.
Getting out of the hammock
Swing your legs over the side to sit. Then, hold firmly to the side of the hammock stand.
LOOKING getting settled
The easiest way is at an angle, this allows you to sleep with a better distribution of weight, lower stress, and back support for comfort. Some hammocks are best when it extends through the center in the double hammocks can sit two people in a variety of positions. You can experience and find your favorite.

HANG THE HAMMOCK
Home use
The home use vary from the porch, living between two columns in the room etc. Hang with hammocks or hammock supports. You can use a rope to compensate for the extra distance.
Outdoor use
Use the other side of the house or garage. Use a strong pole or plant your own post to hang. You can also use available or palm trees serve as columns. Two strings at the correct distance if there are trees or usable walls, place to hang your hammock between them. The approximate distance to hang your hamca is 3.6 meters.

Mayan hammock weave

Mayan hammocks are hand-woven on a horizontal wooden frame. The frame is made of wood and consists of 2 vertical posts 2.20 meters apart the racks are handmade by the artisans themselves on occasion from trees nearby. They are lightweight, yet strong, and can be easily moved inside or outside your home. It is not uncommon to see women weaving hammocks outside or inside the house when hot.

The hammock is pure yarn interlaced with one another, the ability to unite Weaver infinite patterns can be created by changing colors and weaving them hammock it is a repetitive and sometimes long process with no particular pattern, resulting in multiple deck colors and designs.



Mayan hammock weave

During the weaving process it is very important to maintain a constant and even tension in the mesh. If the thread tension is too tight then a part of the hammock will have a lump or might be too soft.

Many people believe weave a hammock is easy to learn. The work involved in creating a multi-colored hammock is considerably more complex because the color changes when there is a break in the fabric to tie the knots together. The more nodes the longer the fabric to the Mayan hammock. That is why there is often a tendency for mass producers to create less complex designs.

Fortunately there are still some quality producers in Mexico, as crafters doing fine Yucatan Mayan hammocks in traditional designs and more laborious.

How to care a hammock easily?

FIG.1

To wash hammock: Hand wash in mild detergent (colors may bleed some) Always tie up arm strings to avoid tangles. Put inside a pillow case while washing. 

To store hammock hang both ends from one hook on the wall, or fold it up and store it (fig.1) Do not leave it lying around unfalded. 

Weather: hammocks last longer if not left out exposed to the elements. Cotton hammocks are more durable than synthetics wich break down under 

the suns ultraviolet rays. Still, it is best to store your hammock indoors when not in use. 

Do not hang hammock directly on hooks as friction wearing may occur. Instead loop a chain or rope from hook through the loop end of the hammock and back to hook (fig.2) 

Always hold hammock by loop ends to avoid tang to repair: Should a string break on an open wave hammock, it will not run, however, you must tie the two broken ends together to avoid the 

development of a hole. 

History about hammocks

The hammock is a bundle of thread, string or fabric suspended in the air held only at its ends and is used mostly for sleep, relax or making rocking swing like a swing. Normally hammocks are panels of yarn or woven together to form a body big and strong to support the weight of at least one person, in different regions of the world also enough fabric is used to manufacture them ropes. Originally hammocks were used by the ancient Maya to rest and sleep, centuries later began to use to rest and sleep in places with smaller spaces in which it was not possible to have access to a bed or chair.



For thousands of years indigenous peoples have woven hammocks. Besides tomatoes, corn, potatoes and cocoa, Europeans have learned from the Mayas people and the utility that others can have a hammock. Hammocks RADA (c) has combined the best weaving techniques with the best quality materials, modern and traditional to make handwoven hammocks is the best that the world has ever produced! All hammocks are woven by Mayan families living in remote villages around Yucatán Capital. Most of the money you spend on a hammock return to the community of Mayan weavers.



Mayan hammocks are made in remote villages surrounding the capital of Yucatan, Merida, and are sold all over the world as well as locally. They were not part of the era of the Classic Maya civilization; which it is said to have come to the Mérida, Yucatán from the Caribbean less than two centuries before the Spanish conquest. Modern quality hammocks native and depends largely on the quality of material, thread. Mayan style hammocks are made on a loom and are handmade by men and women. Hammocks are so symbolically and culturally important to the Yucatan people that even the most humble of homes have hammock at their living rooms.