Family in front of their thatch home in Corozal, 1908
I remember these houses in Chan Pan Ridge in Orange Walk District. The had white wash on the walls. The inside was very cool!!
I remember them when they were still standing in Orange Walk Town in Riverside Street we even had a school like that in La Inmaculada School for a while.
The Bayleaf or Botan palm ‘Sabal mauritaformis’ is still considered ideal for thatching, lasting between 10 and 15 years. In the south of the country the palm ‘Manicaria saccifera’ was widely, used giving a life of perhaps three decades. Cohune palms ‘Attalea Cohune’, were also utilised in thatching; giving a shorter lifespan to a roof. It was believed that the best time to cut palm leaves for thatching, was between the full and new moon.
The Máasewal (Yucatec Maya ) still do these houses up north but they have become more and more uncommon due to materials, hurricanes, and other factors.
The below image shows a typical thatched village in around 1920; probably near the border with Honduras.