Mat Weaver © Marilyn Anderson. Woodcut, 9 1/16″x 11 7/8″
A man from the town of San Antonio Palopó on Lake Atitlán uses a twill weave to make a mat using tule (reeds) that grow along its shores. Other kinds of plant material are also used for mat production, especially strips from the palm leaf and a type of strong grass. For thousands of years, mats have had wide use in the home and for wrapping bundles and they also have had ceremonial meaning. The ancient Maya created a glyph representing the word for mat and gave the name Pop (mat) to the first month of their calendar.