HAT WEAVING WITH JIP1, CARLUDOVICA PALMATA (CYCLANTHACEAE) IN THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, MEXICO l MARIA FADIMAN Fadiman, Maria (Department of Latm Amerwan Studtes, Tulane Umverstty, New Orleans, LA 78751 USA, Present address Department of Geography, Untverslty of Texas at Austm, Austm, TX 78712 USA). HAT WEAVINGWITH Jlet, CARLUDOVICAPALMATA (CYCLANTHACEAE)IN THE YU- CATAN PENINSULA,MEXICO Economw Botany 55(4).539-544, 2001 Weavmg hats with jlpl, Carludovlca palmata (Cyclanthaceae) has budt the local economy and cultural zdenttty for the people of Becal, m the Yucatdn Penmsula, Mextco They obtam most material from cultivated source6, weave m man-made caves, and market the goods to commercial centers. Because Jlpl does not appear to deplete the sod, they do not need to clear more land for sustamable productton Although weavmg tradtttonally served as the mam source of mcome and soctal acttvtty m Becal, mterest m weawng ts dechnmg as the town moderntzes Although profits gamed from weaving add to famtly earnings, because of the many hands through whtch the hat passes, tht~ income remains low compared to the final selhng prtces Thus, many who have the opportuntty to pur~ue other careers are doing 30. However, for rural communtttes, wtthout other earning opttons, weavmg may prowde an economwally and envtronmentally advanta- geous way to use the land Key Words: Carludowca palmata, Cyclanthaceae; Panama hat; Jtpt, Becal, Yucat~in; Mexmo, hat-weawng. This study examines the weaving of hats us- woven in Ecuador and now also famous in Be- ing Carludovtca palmata Rufz and Pav6n (Cy- cal, are internationally known as "Panama" clanthaceae) in Becal, Campeche, Mexico. Hat- hats This misnomer originated during the Cali- making is one of the major mdustrtes of western fornia gold rush Beginning in 1849, American Yucat~in and northern Campeche. The project fo- miners passing through Panama acquired the cuses on Becal, located m northern Campeche hats that had been imported from Ecuador. The (Fig. 1), because of its historical and present sta- construction of the Panama Canal (1870-1911) tus as the hat-weaving center of the Yucatfin reinforced this confusion, because many hats Penmsula Extraction of the plant's fibers ap- made from jtpt were imported for the canal pears to be sustainable, because the weavers pe- workers (Alguilar de Tamarlz 1988; Bennett, riodically remove only an inner leaf, without Alarcon, and Cer6n 1992; Harhng 1958, Miller kdhng the plant. 1988; Von Hagen 1949). Jipi, the local name for both the growing plant Carludovwa palmata IS the most widespread C. palmata and for the prepared weaving mate- species m the genus Carludovwa, ranging from hal, is an integral part of the historical and cul- Guatemala to Central Bolivia. This species tural identity of the village of Becal. The people grows in moist tropical forest and in areas of of the village first wove with Sabal mextcana high sunlight. C. palmata is a multi-stemmed (Arecaceae) and continue to utilize this material plant, measuring 1-2 m tall, with flabelllform- (Caballero 1995). However, they also adapted parted blades that are as broad as long and made their technique to work with C palmata after its up of four wedge-shaped segments (Harling mtroduction in 1866. Because of its superior 1958). strength and flexibility, jtpt is now the primary source of weaving material. Jipz hats, originally STUDY AREA Becal hes in the northernmost region of the 1Received 16 August 2000, accepted 16 March state of Campeche (Fig 1). A bed of limestone 2001 covered with sparse topsoil comprises the geo- Economw Botany 55(4) pp 539-544 2001 92001 by The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY 10458-5126 U S A 540 ECONOMIC BOTANY [VOL 55 GULF OF MEXICO 30km ! MERIDA 20*35' N Maxcanu Tancuch6 [ Halacho Santa Cruz 9 Calkin[ Nunkin[ CAMPECHE 90*00' W 1 ...... Fig. 1. Map of Northwest Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, showing towns where jtpt is grown, processed andl or woven. logical foundation of th~s region. The subhumid those of the younger generations learn only tropical climate with rainfall of 1000 to 1200 Spanish. The education system in Becal now mm per year remains fairly constant throughout goes through hlghschool, whde the outlying the year (Flores and Carvajal 1994; Vogt I969). smaller communities still provide only primary Almost all 6000 residents of Becal are of education. In addition to hat-making, Becal sup- Maya descent. Although members of the older ports minor industries such as maize cultivation, generations speak Yucatec Maya and Spanish, apiculture, and fruit production. 2001 ] FADIMAN: HAT WEAVING WITH JIP1, CARLUDOVICA PALMATA 541 METHODS taught children how to weave. The government closed these centers thirty years later, however, Semistructured interviews were conducted because parents took over the instruction of their with weavers, processors, cultivators, buyers and children. Today, the teaching tradition continues one of the onglnal teachers of the first hat-mak- as women from Becal travel to netghbonng ing school from May to August 1996 and Feb- towns to teach weaving, enabling more people ruary 1997. Supplementing this data are infor- m the region. An example is that the town of mal interviews with weavers as they wove and Santa Cruz, which used to solely produce processed material throughout town. Also, using jipi, is now also becoming a hat-making town. a semlstructured format, I spoke with cultivators in Santa Cruz and distributors m Becal, M6rida JIel SOURCES and Cancun During the research, I lived with a The major sources of jipi come from planta- family of weavers who clarified information ob- nons and private gardens. Most of these are lo- tained through the formal interviews. Further- cated in the states of Campeche and Yucatfin, more, they provided the opportunity for me to within the villages of Halach6, Tancuch6, Santa learn through participant observation, by teach- Cruz, Nunkinf, Holoch and Maxcanfi (Fig. 1). ing me to weave. Ecologfa Aplicada y Manejo Only in two of these towns, Santa Cruz and de Ambientes Terrestres (ECOMAT), Universl- Nunkinf, do residents also weave. Although dad Autdnoma de Campeche, helped to confirm some plant identifications, and dried the voucher spec- jipi grows m Becat, the water table is too far below the surface to support large planta- imens. The Tulane herbarium now stores the nons. People also obtain leaves from uncultivat- specimens, with ECOMAT retaining duplicates. ed jlpt m Tabasco. However, they consider the quality of the leaves from Tabasco inferior to HISTORY OF HAT MAKING WITH JIPI that of cultivated j1pt. Thus, they purchase ma- IN BECAL tenal from Tabasco only when they are unable Hat-weaving probably originated with the to obtain cultivated jipi. Spaniards m 1519, as the use of plants to make Most jipi fields in Santa Cruz are about one hats was not an indigenous custom among the mecate (about 400 m2), the standard unit of field Yucatec Maya. The Maya traditionally used un- measurement in the region. Most fields are fam- opened palm fronds, of Sabat mexicana, to ily owned, with five cooperatives cultivating weave sleeping and sitting mats. During the co- larger areas of land. All of the plantations in lomal period, the Spaniards sought head protec- Santa Cruz together cover 80 mecates. The tion and asked indigenous people to modify their planters burn the plots to clear vegetative mat-making practice to accommodate hats (AI- growth, and then plant rhlzomes collected from guilar de Tamanz 1988; Caballero 1995; Von local plant populations, one meter apart. They fit Hagen 1949). Currently, the people in the region about 400 plants in each mecate. After the initial no longer make mats, and during the past five planting, the rhizome produces lateral buds from decades hat-weaving has evolved into a major which new aerial shoots emerge, creating small local industry. clusters of stems. The typical planting of 400 In 1866, Don Pablo Montero Ram6n, a rubber plants per mecate results in about 1000 ramets tapper who worked in Guatemala, introduced after three years. A jipi plant produces a usable jipi to the Yucatan Peninsula by bringing cut- leaf every t5 days. Using a small machete, the tings back with him to Becal. The brothers, Don time required to harvest one mecate is about 30 Sixto and Don Pedro Garcfa, the most prominent minutes. Dunng the first year after planting, the hacienda owners of the region, recognized the cultivators weed the fields every few weeks until superior flexibility, whiteness, and durability of the adult plants create sufficient shade to inhibit the jtpi leaf for weaving, and dedicated their ha- weed growth They then periodically thin the cienda, Santa Cruz, to the cultivation of the new fields to prevent crowding, selling the excess hy- crop. The former hacienda, now the town of ing plants to neighboring towns for five pesos Santa Cruz, remains the main jlpl producer of (1 peso = $0.12 US) each the region (Cervera 1968; Rosado 1993). The best quality jlpt requires about l0 liters In 1935, the government of Campeche estab- of water per plant dmly. Cultivators irrigate the hshed two schools in Becat where instructors plots, filling dirt ditches that run between rows 542 ECONOMIC BOTANY [VOL. 55 with water. They rarely use fertilizer, as the soil remains fertile enough to support the popula- tions for extended periods. For example, the plantations in Santa Cruz have been growingjipi on the same soil for over 100 years. Only when there is an insect plague do they use insecticide, which costs 15-20 pesos per mecate. MATERIAL PREPARATION The first step in processing jipi involves sep- arating the leaflets from each other with the fin- gers, and then dividing each leaflet into thinner strips with a needle (Fig.