REGIONAL NEWS - El Pilar Site Enhancement

Daniel Landero teaches the tying technique for the thatch.

Press Release - Site Enhancements at El Pilar part of a new Community Collaboration - The El Pilar Archaeological Project, directed by Anabel Ford, and the Institute of Archaeology’s Park Management, directed by Brian Woodye, have teamed up to construct the model Maya house and forest garden at El Pilar as a real demonstration of how the ancient Maya lived. The expert design of Assistant Site Manager Longino Salam, and his knowledgeable park rangers, Daniel Landero and Augustine Rosado, have led the group in the renovations. Joining the effort is the newly formed El Pilar Forest Garden Network from Santa Familia under President Alcario Cano. The collaboration is the first in a series of team efforts aimed at engaging community participation in the improvements at the park.

Alcario Cano lashes roof supports of building.

The Tzunu’un model Maya house is an appropriate starting point for community involvement. For the park rangers and forest gardeners, thatched houses were once a way of life. Salam’s intimate knowledge of the construction techniques using the Corozo, or Cohune palm leaf, comes form his formative years as a boy. Landero, too, recalls nostalgically the coolness inside his thatch home as he grew up, remembering that before Hurricane Hattie there were no zinc roofs in the villages. This style of house is fast disappearing, and to have a model demonstration at El Pilar will give local and foreign visitors alike an experience that brings the past alive. The project, scheduled for 3 weeks, will conclude the end of May.

Longino Salam lends Expertise at Tzunu’un.

Visitors to the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna are encouraged to see the work ongoing now, and soon to enjoy the refreshing shade of the newly thatched model Maya houses, recalling the days, not so long ago, when most villages were dominated by this traditional style of building.

Information sent by Elias Avella, via Eve's Computer Services, in Santa Elena Town, Cayo.