Many of the roofs in Bullet Tree Falls and in other
parts of Belize and Guatemala are made from guano. To make a roof,
the durable leaves are placed over cross beams with approximately
two-thirds of the leaf on top of the beam and one-third of the leaf
under the beam.
Guano leaves can also be lashed together over poles
to make a stretcher in an emergency. In utilizing guano leaves for
such purposes, however, care must be taken to remove only a few leaves
from each plant so that the plant may survive. Today, the removal
of all of the leaves is leading to the rapid loss of guano in the
area.
The heart of palm of guano is edible and is called Coshan.
It is said that Catholics once ate Coshan as a substitute for meat
on religious holidays.