THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALEKM 



181 



the long shed (pi. 10, e) ; later, these are bent over 

 the gable ends (pi. 11, a). The distance between 

 the horizontal withes is approximately one jeme 

 or one cuarta, roughly 20 cm. 



THATCH 



The roof is thatched before the walls are added. 

 A series of bamboos, poles, or planks is laid longi- 

 tudinally cross the top of the cross beams. Along 

 both sides of this platform the thatch is neatly 

 piled, leaving the center clear. Unless the cover- 

 ing is of split palma real, the men are on the out- 

 side of the roof frame and, if necessary, can reach 

 through it for material. Generally, additional 

 workers stand in the clear space of the platform 

 and pass thatch to the men on the outside. 



Thatching starts with the lowest course. The 

 men stand or squat, barefooted, on the supplemen- 

 tary beams which are lashed on the outside of the 

 mother beams and of the two terminal cross beams. 

 If there are several men, they station themselves 

 equidistant from one another, along the lower 

 edge of the roof. 



Thatch is affixed to alternate withes. The low- 

 est one is skipped, and the first course is tied to 

 the withe next to the bottom. Intervening withes 

 keep the covering from dropping inward and 

 downward. Each man ties the lowest row from 

 right to left ; that is, work is clockwise. He con- 

 tinues until he reaches the work of the adjacent 

 companion on his left. On the second course, 

 progression is counterclockwise, "to make the roof 

 waterproof." 14 After the first few courses are 

 laid, the men stand on the withes. As the ridge is 

 approached, the platform no longer is readily ac- 

 cessible, and a higher one is improvised, by resting 

 poles or bamboos on the struts which run trans- 

 versely from one long shed to the other. 



The technique of thatching varies somewhat ac- 

 cording to the material used : 



Palma redonda (No. 259). — This palin provides the least 

 expensive roofing and for that reason is popular. How- 

 ever, it seldom endures more than 2 or 3 years. Constant 

 smoking helps to preserve the palm, hence this particular 

 thatch is especially favored for kitchens. It is said that 

 2,500 leaves are necessary for a house 8 varas long ; 4,000 



14 We observed this twice, but are not sure that it holds for all 

 thatching. It may vary with material, with the type of struc- 

 ture, and with the number of men working. A small granary 

 was roofed in much less organized fashion (see below). 



are cut for a house 6 by 12 varas. At present, the price 

 is between $0.75 and $1.00 peso a thousand, with the 

 purchaser doing the cutting. 



The palm is stacked in orderly fashion on the platform 

 which rests on the cross beams, with the base of the 

 leaves toward the center of the house. Down the middle 

 of the platform are two planks, on which workers walk 

 back and forth, as they hand the palm through the frame 

 to the men on the outside. 



We observed two methods of tying palma redonda (fig. 

 20, a, o). The leaves are laid double, one on top of the 

 other. The basal segments are split on either side but 

 are not removed, and with them the leaf is tied in place. 



A different technique was applied to a small granary 

 thatched with palma redonda (pi. 11, g). One man climbed 

 to the roof frame with the aid of his bamboo ladder. He 

 sat on the outside of the frame, bracing himself against the 

 withes, and facing outward. He worked from bottom to 

 top, from his left to his right. However, he did not com- 

 plete one course before continuing to the next upper one. 

 To tie the palm, he reached between his knees (pi. 11, g). 

 An assistant on the ground handed him the necessary 

 palm from time to time. 



Palma real (No. 364). — In contrast to the preceding, 

 this palm nas long, slender leaves ; it lasts 25 to 30 years 

 as thatch ; and the initial cost is proportionately high. 

 One informant calculates 300 leaves to roof a house 8 varas 

 long ; another thinks a house 6 by 12 varas requires 1,000. 

 The current price is $10.00 pesos a hundred, with the pur- 

 chaser doing the cutting ; one man asks $15.00 a hundred, 

 for the right to cut on his land. 



There are two principal methods of thatching with 

 palma real. One is to cut the leaves in lengths of about 

 a vara. The base of the petiole is laid vertically against 

 the outer surface of the withe and is affixed to it with liana 

 (fig. 20, c). 



The other method involves splitting the leaves the full 

 length of the midrib. The tip is opened between the 

 fingers; "it opens easily; no knife or machete is used." 

 Next, the split leaves are cut to uniform length, if pos- 

 sible to correspond to that of the long shed of the house ; 

 extra length is allowed for splicing, and short pieces left 

 over are used for the gable ends. 



Once cut, the split palm is stacked, in the same order 

 in whicli it is to be applied to the roof. If the first half 

 leaf has the base of the petiole toward the right, the second 

 is placed upon it, with the base to the left. This alterna- 

 tion compensates for the difference in thickness of the 

 petioles and makes it easier to lay the thatch in even, 

 closely spaced, horizontal rows. Moreover, the segments 

 of the upper half leaf run roughly at right angles to those 

 of the lower (fig. 20, e), thus giving added protection 

 against rain. 



The gable ends, roughly triangular, are thatched first. 

 A split leaf is placed against the lower poles (fig. 19, /, 

 No. 12), with the segments downward. Then, with liana, 

 the midrib is caught in place (fig. 20, d, e,). It is not 

 attached to every pole, and figure 20, f indicates to which 

 the various courses generally are affixed. 



Work is not clockwise or counterclockwise, but upward. 



