Gladys, I just wanted to comment that, in the absence of banana leaves, my mom would assemble her pasteles on waxed paper, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. The foil holds everything together well and there is no need to tie the packets. They boil nicely this way, but the foil tends to turn dark during the cooking - this does not affect the final product.

Also, thanks for posting so many traditional recipes and stories. I enjoy reading them so much! I regret that because of the miles between us for so many years, I never learned much of my mother's style of cooking, so it's comforting to be reminded of what I grew up with.