When people hear the word Yucatan, immediately people think about the mayan pyramids found in Yucatan, the delicious food, the colorful clothing, the stable and warm climate, and the beautiful beaches and resorts along the Gulf Coast. We also think about the beautiful mayan hammocks found all over the Mexican gulf beach fronts.
The hammock dates back many centuries and has been a part of mayan culture. When the spaniards introduced cotton to Mexico, the Mayan indians started to use cotton to make their hammocks. They discovered the comfort it brought them. Today, cotton is still used to make the hammocks, but nylon is used as well. The nylon is man made and is easy to work with. To make one descent sized hammock, it can take one person a few weeks to complete it. Because of the mayan hammock's popularity and growing demand, entire villages across the state of Yucatan dedicate their lives and their childrens lives to making the hammocks. It is a family business and a way of life that is passed on from generation to generation.
The hammock is a way of life for the Mayan people: they are born in them, they sleep in them, they conceive in them, and they die in them. The mayan hammock, which is considered a beautiful work of art in developed countries, is the everyday companion of the Mayan.