FEWKES] HOUSES 45 



of these palm-thatched cabins (plate iv, e) differs from those above 

 mentioned rather in materials used than in method of construction. 



"With Palm Leaves ox Walls, and Straw-thatched Roofs 



A large number of houses have the walls covered with the sheaths 

 of palm leaves {i/ag>ia.s), while the roof is made of thatch (plate iii). 

 It will be noticed that there are no windows in many of these houses, 

 all the light entering through the open door; this aperture is closed 

 at night, however, the natives of Porto Rico almost without exception 

 having the idea that night air is injurious." 



^\'ITH Slabs of Palm Wood on Walls 



Houses of a fourth kind (plates iv, ?>, and v) have flat slabs of palm 

 wood instead of the yugua and thatch on the sides, the roof being 

 sometimes constructed of the former, sometimes of the latter material. 

 Manj' examples of this t3'pe were observed in which half of the walls 

 were covered with palm boai'ds and the remaining half with yngna, 

 which is evidently a modern innovation. In one of these the door is 

 made of jialm leaves, as shown in plate iii, a. 



A still further modification, regarded as more recent still, is the 

 substitution for palm leaves of plates from kerosene cans, a mod- 

 ern innovation that is especially coumion near the larger towns. A 

 number of buildings with oil-can roofs may be seen at the small but 

 characteristic pueblo of Cataiio, opposite San Juan. 



The accompanying figure (plate iv, r/, a') represents a row of houses 

 near Arecibo. where many of the roofs were made of corrugated iron 

 plates. These buildings are situated on sand dunes overlooking the 

 Atlantic, and are inhabited by negroes and the poorer natives, mostly 

 fishermen. All the methods of construction are found in rows of 

 houses in different towns on the island, as Luquillo, Caguas. and on 

 the bluff's at Arecibo. 



While there is a resemblance in certain modern Porto Rican houses to 

 those of prehistoric times, as described by Oviedo and others, this like- 

 ness does not hold in details. The roiind tj^pe, ov coney, once common 

 among the Indians, has almost disappeared, being rarelj^ found on the 

 island. Although the kind of material used for the side walls is identical 

 in ancient and modern houses, it is not attached to the beams in the 

 same manner. In both old and new houses, especiallj' in the latter, 

 there is sometimes an elevation of the floor above the ground; the 

 explanation commonly given for this feature is that it is a way of 

 avoiding dampness and noxious insects. The most primitive cabins in 

 Porto Rico have no elevated wooden floors, but the ground itself 

 serves as the floors of the habitations. The custom of raising the 



a To walk in the moonlight bareheaded is likewise regarded as unhealthful. It is no uncommon 

 sight to see persons on clear nights with umbrellas spread for protection, possibly from heavy dews. 



