Adobe

My husband and I recently stayed overnight in a lovely house made out of mud. When people started building shelters, they utilized the materials provided by the nature around them. In the case of desert dwellers, it is the earth itself. It is not a coincidence that our home has a wood frame and wood siding. We live surrounded by plentiful trees and forests.

In the American southwest, mud houses are called “adobes”. The Macmillan Dictionary definition of adobe is “earth mixed with straw used for making bricks to build houses”. The bricks are dried in the sun, no kiln needed. More mud is applied in a rainbow motion over the stacked up adobe walls to create a uniform surface.

Some of the oldest buildings in the world are constructed of adobe bricks. They are durable, fireproof, non-toxic, soundproof, thermal regulators and biodegradable. Even by current standards, an extremely impressive list.

Since mud and clay are highly malleable, building features such as corners, fireplaces, chimneys, niches and courtyard walls can be sculpted. I have heard these gentle curves poetically referred to as “beautiful shoulders”.

The walls of an adobe building are a foot or more thick. As a result, window sills are like deep shelves and doors are a distance from the interior side of the wall. Adobes give a hug from within.

Here are photos of Hacienda de Chimayo in the mountains of New Mexico. It has been providing shelter for over 100 years.

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