natural building

natural building is a step beyond “green building,” using only local, natural, sustainable materials.  we worked with a local expert, Charlie, and two maya men who learned their skills passed down through their fathers and grandfathers.  not only is natural building good as an environmental, energy-efficient method for construction, it also preserves the old maya ways and customs.  furthermore, it is actually more earthquake-proof than modern building techniques.


how the space started, photo by Craig Harvey



we built two walls at a primary/pre-school in San Marcos.  they started out with stone bases (with a small concession in using a bit of concrete), since earth building materials will absorb moisture from the ground if in direct contact.  three hardwood posts were mounted vertically on the base, and bamboo tied horizontally across them, on each side.  the space between the bamboo was filled with stones, and a mud mixture applied over the whole thing.  finally, a plaster was spread on the surface.  and we even put a cool design on them.

the wall in process

 

as simple as that sounds, a wide variety of different materials were used in the process. 

me chopping prickly pear

prickly pear goop

one of the very first things we did was chop up prickly pear (aka nogal cactus).  yep, me with a machete.  the pieces were put into a large bucket to soak in water.  it wasn’t until near the end of the week that the mixture was ready.  by then, the fluid had become so viscous that a stick would stand up among the pieces of prickly pear.  we poured it through a sieve and what came out could only be described as nightmare snot.  in the end, the goo was used as a type of glue in the plaster for the outside surfaces of the wall.

mud stomping - we did a lot of this

the mud mixture also took some time to develop.  it was wetted down and worked over for three days to reach the right consistency.  in addition to clay-rich earth -- gathered from a local area known for good earth -- water, sand and chopped pine needles were added.  we used our feet for most of the extensive mixing.  the pine provides fiber to hold the mixture together.  once the proportions and consistency were right – a process simply done by feel by the maya men – the mud was ready.

maguey sliced for rope

even the rope we used was natural and local.  the sisal rope comes from the maguey plant, sliced the long way, dried, pounded, wetted, and dried again.  it can then be twisted with a special tool to make traditional rope, or – as in our case – used as is.  it makes a very strong, regular-looking rope.

finally, we made two different types of plaster.  both started with a lime and water base (which incidentally heats up and smokes when first combined).  the lighter plaster used fine sand and, of course, the prickly pear goop.  the darker had the addition of finely-sifted horse poop.  both were layered onto the wall with trowels for the finish.  (the experts were able to do it by tossing the plaster with a flick of their wrist, perfectly filling every spot with a flat finish.  my attempt did not meet with as much success.)

by the end, the space we started off with became a classroom and community room.  when we arrived it was being used for storage and open-fire cooking, otherwise unusable for the school community.  after building a wall, cleaning, painting and fixing up the space (and building a stove nearby.  more on that in a later post), the whole space was transformed.  it was very satisfying!



the final space, photo by Craig Harvey



(hope this wasn’t too boring, but we learned so much and I wanted to share.)