A petate is a bedroll used in Central America and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Its name comes from the

Náhuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller pop ...

word ''petlatl'' . The petate is woven from plant fibers from various species of palms (mainly of the genera

Thrinax ''Thrinax'' is a genus in the palm family, native to the Caribbean. It is closely related to the genera '' Coccothrinax'', '' Hemithrinax'' and '' Zombia''. Flowers are small, bisexual and are borne on small stalks. Taxonomy In the first edit ...

Sabal ''Sabal'' is a genus of New World palms (or fan-palms). Currently, there are 17 recognized species of ''Sabal'', including one hybrid species. Distribution The species are native to the subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, from ...

and Brahea) and tules (species

Schoenoplectus acutus ''Schoenoplectus acutus'' ( syn. ''Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris'' subsp. ''acutus''), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the p ...

and Typha domingensis), as well as, to a lesser extent, various species of

Maguey Maguey may refer to various American plants: * Genus ''Agave'', especially ** Species ''Agave americana ''Agave americana'', commonly known as the century plant, maguey, or American aloe, is a flowering plant species belonging to the family Asp ...

and Reeds. The species of palms used for this purpose are known by the generic name of «petate palm». The

Royal Spanish Academy The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanophon ...

defines it as a bed.The RSA's definition of "petate"
/ref> Generally petates are

woven Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics, often created on a loom, are made of many threads woven in a warp and weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to one anot ...

in quadrangular forms, though not to any exact dimensions.

Use

The main use of the petate is for sleeping. It can be extended on the ground for lying down or sleeping. During the day the petate normally rolls up and hangs from the wall, freeing up space in the room. In very warm places it is used to sleep outdoors. Also it is used for drying seeds, grains, tortillas, and other foodstuffs in the sun, to prevent them touching the ground. Other items made from the fibers of the palm are known as "artesanias de petate" (

handicrafts A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...

made from the fibers of the palm) including

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and p ...

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

s, and

basket A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff Fiber, fibers, and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, Stolon, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials ...

Colloquialisms

The petate's diverse characteristics and uses have inspired a number of colorful Spanish idioms: *"''Ya se petateó''" ("He's already dead") is Mexican (and other central American countries) slang from the colloquial word "Petatear" '' to be dead'', recognized by the RSA as a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

for dying. This is because the petate also is used to lay and to bury the dead, mainly among those too impoverished to afford

coffin A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English. A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...

s. *"''Llamarada de petate''" ("Petate in a blaze") refers to an emotion or brief and intense love affair, as in "the love between them was like a petate in a blaze." *"''Huele a petate quemado''" ("It smells like burned petate") is used to refer to the smell of

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

. *"''Mujeres, pa'l

metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organi ...

y pa'l petate''" ("Women, for kitchen and bed") is a machista saying that states that women's only roles are to serve as cook and sexual partner. *"''Mala pa'l metate pero buena pa'l petate''" means "Bad in the kitchen but good in bed"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petate Indigenous textile art of the Americas Bedding Culture of Mexico Mesoamerican society