At El Rancho De Las Golondrinas in Sante Fe, New Mexico, visitors can view historic Spanish American dwellings and learn about traditional adobe construction techniques that have been used for almost 500 years. Adobe structures can range from very small huts to beautiful churches and extensive haciendas.
Who were the first people to build with adobe in North America? Native Americans had used adobe-style bricks in parts of Central America. Spanish settlers, who arrived in what is now New Mexico in the 1600's, also built with adobe, and introduced its use here. The Spanish had learned how to make adobe, or sun-dried bricks of clay, mud, and straw, from North Africans. (The climate in parts of North Africa is very similar to the climate in New Mexico. They both have very dry, desert-like conditions. Sun-baked bricks would not work very well in cool, damp climates!) When the Spanish American settlers arrived in the American South West, they used adobe for most of their structures.
HOW did the Spanish Americans build an adobe house?
They mixed sand, clay, and a little straw together, and then put the mixture into wooden molds to get the right shape. The molds would be removed. Then the bricks would dry in the sun for about two weeks. The hard adobe bricks would be stacked together to build the walls. Then the walls would be spread by hand with about ¼ inch of wet adobe, creating a smooth surface inside and out. Stout wooden beams ("vigas") and slender poles ("latias") were used to make the ceiling. Then adobe would be applied on top of that to create a hard adobe roof. 1.
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WHAT did the settlers use to make an adobe house?
They used the adobe mixture for bricks, plaster, roofing, and flooring, plus wooden beams and poles for the ceiling. Often, white wash was applied to the walls, brightening the interior. Adobe buildings sometimes needed repairs after a periodic heavy rainstorm. Fresh adobe was plastered over any cracks in the walls.
WHY did the settlers use adobe?
It was well suited to the desert climate - cool in the intense heat, and warm in the cold weather. The materials were freely available. No special technology was needed. Adobe is still a very popular building material in dry climates.
VISIT EL RANCHOS de las Golondrinas www.golondrinas.org
(Thanks to all the great people who shared their time and expertise at El Ranchos de Las Golondrinas. What a fascinating place!)
