A petate is a carpet or mat that is made from plant fibers.
Petate is a notion that comes from a Nahuatl word ( petlatl ). It is a type of mat or carpet that is usually made by hand in Mexico and various Central American countries. The mat is woven from the fibers of a plant whose scientific name is Leucothrinax morrisii .
The mats are usually rectangular and large enough for a person to lie on their surface. The usual thing is that the backpack is placed on the floor when the subject wants to rest and that, for the rest of the day, it remains stored (usually in the form of a roll).
Although its shape is usually square, the backpack can be manufactured in different sizes. Palm fibers are used to make them, the same material that is used to make toys, masks, baskets, hats, dolls and crafts (called petate to distinguish them from the rest). In some regions where temperatures are very high, the mat is used for sleeping outdoors.
Manufacturing of the backpack
Today, due to the large number of people who have emigrated in search of new job opportunities, less than a third of the artisans who made this product continue to do so. It is important to note that manufacturing a backpack requires hard work, which consists of following the following steps:
- Cut the reed or palm leaves into the desired quantity for the total product.
- Leave them in the sun to dry, on a flat surface to prevent them from bowing.
- Once the leaves have dried, it becomes necessary to choose the most suitable ones to begin the weaving process.
- Optionally, it is possible to dye the leaves with pigments of plant origin. Although this is a purely aesthetic issue, it can increase the chances of sale, especially among tourists.
More uses of the mat
A bedroll, however, not only serves as a bed or mat. Various things that you want to dry with the sun's rays can also be displayed on this fabric. In this way, if someone wants to dry grains or seeds , they can use a mat so as not to rest them directly on the ground.
In many parts of Mexico, the petate is used to dry pumpkin seeds with the intention of eating them roasted once they have been dehydrated; The name given to the finished product is pumpkin seed , although in the north of the country it is known simply by the name of seed and is sold on public roads.
The idea of a backpack can refer to luggage.
The duffel bag as luggage
The concept of duffel bag is also used, in informal language, to name the bags and suitcases or suitcases that a passenger takes on a trip. In this sense, petate is equivalent to luggage .
For example: “The boy took his backpack and got on the train, heading to the unknown” , “Do not neglect the backpacks because there are many thefts in this terminal” , “I arrived in the city with my backpacks, I looked for a hotel and, at “A few hours, I was already looking for work.”
Other considerations
It should be noted that, in some countries , the verb petatear is used as a synonym for die. This is because, in ancient times, the mat was used to cover the dead.
There is a long list of expressions and colloquialisms that use words from the petate family, such as the following: "petate flame" , which refers to an event or emotion that lasted less than it promised, probably because it was not as deep. or important as they seemed at first; "it smells like a burning bedroll," when it is perceived that someone is smoking marijuana; and "liar el petate" , which means to move or change house.