Origin

Where do I purchase my hammocks from?

Net hammocks are produced and used all over Mexico. The region around Merida in Yucatan is nationally renowned for the best hammocks. Hundreds of Maya families handcraft these hammocks in their homes. I directly source my hammocks from a Maya family in a small town near Merida.

Julio is the head of the family and also the owner of a small hammock shop. Besides selling in his store, he travels to Merida every two weeks to sell his hammocks to tourists and passersby. He also supplies hammocks to individual bed and breakfasts and lodgings, as well as a Maya arts and crafts center.

I got to know Julio at a bed and breakfast in Merida during a trip to Mexico. Alongside a Mexican living in Australia and a Frenchman who sells hammocks in small quantities in France, I am the third international customer to whom Julio has shipped hammocks over the past few years. The business was just as special for me as a newcomer as it was for him, even though he is clearly the more seasoned business partner.

Julio, with the help of his entire family, makes hammocks. Additionally, women from the neighborhood earn extra money by weaving hammocks, particularly the women. Julio sells his own hammocks and those from the neighborhood. The money I pay for the hammocks goes directly to the Maya people who produce them, supplementing their income.

The lying surface of a hammock is completed on a weaving frame. Depending on the size, it is woven in different widths, so a different number of panels are woven depending on the size. After completing the lying surface, it is removed from the weaving frame, and the carrying threads are attached to the lying surface on the left and right sides and connected to form a loop at the other end. The production of a hammock takes about 2-3 weeks.