Mesoamerican society

thumb|Copal from Madagascar with [[spiders, termites, ants, elateridae, hymenoptera, cockroach and a flower]] thumb|A sample of copal containing a few termites

thumb|A petate, a bedroll common in Latin America. A petate is a bedroll used in Central America and Mexico. Its name comes from the Náhuatl word petlatl . The petate is woven from plant fibers from various species of palms (mainly of the genera Thrinax, Sabal and Brahea) and tules (species Schoenoplectus acutus and Typha domingensis), as well as, to a lesser extent, various species of Maguey and Reeds. The species of palms used for this purpose are known by the generic name of «petate palm». The Royal Spanish Academy defines it as a bed. Generally petates are woven in quadrangular forms, thou