Basketry of Mexico In the south of Veracruz, the Nahua communities of Pajapán and Hueyapan de Ocampo produce elaborate baskets with wicker and the roots of the Philodendrum radiatum and Monstera deliciosa. In the center of the state, mestizo groups create various products such as the palm petates in Tigrillos and shrimp traps in Jalcomulco located in the center of Veracruz on the eastern side of the Cofre de Perote. It is surrounded by semi deciduous rainforest with over 800 species of plants, as well a fruit orchards and fields with sugar cane and other crops. Its basketry is mostly linked to the
Monstera deliciosa of ripening by its bottommost scales becoming yellowed. As it ripens, the starch that was stored in the green fruit is converted to sugar, giving it its sweet flavor. This mechanism is comparable to how banana fruits ripen. The strong odor the fruit produces becomes noticeable when it is half-ripe. As time passes and the fruit continues to ripen, the odor becomes stronger. After it becomes fully ripe, however, the scent deteriorates quickly. The fruit may be ripened by cutting it when the first scales begin to lift up and it begins to exude a pungent odor. It is wrapped