Diminutive of mat ("carpet woven with vegetable fiber or esparto") . Because it is a "small mat" the term is also applied to doormats, chair covers, and ornaments made with the same technique.
It is a kind of carpet or rug made with woven palm leaves, which is used to sleep in very hot climates. The word used in Mexico is petate. In Colombia we also call them mats. It is also called a construction material made with cracked guadua. It is widely used in the coffee axis.
MAT: Salamanca, mould of Esparto grass to cheese.