A thatched roof? Why?

Regarding the stone house with thatched roof in San Miguel de Allende [“A Labor of Luck,” Feb. 7]: How many hundreds of rats does Michele Connor or, better yet, her housekeeper estimate now are residents in her roof?

Anyway, a thatched roof on the high plateau in the center of Mexico, a place which is close to being a desert? I know there are cloudbursts for 30 minutes every day in the summer. But, still, what a screwy idea. I have been to San Miguel many times. By the way, the natives in Huasteco use thatched roofs because they are poor. What’s Connor’s excuse?

Jim House

Encinitas