Unique Adobe Style in New Mexico

Santa Fe in New Mexico, one of my favored cities in the USA, is almost built entirely in the unique Adobe style.  No building is higher than three stories, and there are no highrises at all throughout the city.  Something totally different to other cities in the world! 

I love this natural style and had the pleasure to not only visit Santa Fe several times but also see how locals live in residential homes.  Santa Fe lies 7,200 ft high and has 325 sunshine days a year.  Every private home I saw has skylights to use the brightness in every room.

How Adobe Houses are Built
Adobe means a building material mix of earth and straw. ... The massive walls are important in New Mexico's desert climate.

Adobe-style homes have projecting wooden roof beams (vigas) extending through walls and typically have large wood components, like heavy doors, ceiling beams, and porch posts.  Earth-based materials, like sun-dried mud, clay, and straw, make the bricks to construct the exterior walls of traditional Adobe homes.

An extension of the roof serves as a barrier to collect rainwater, a precious resource in hot and dry climates.  The walls of an adobe house are usually thick, so they absorb heat on hot days and release it slowly during cool nights.

Adobe houses are traditionally built on a solid foundation, constructed from stone, cement, or even seashells.  Builders then erect adobe walls by stacking earthen bricks on top of each other.  An adobe brick is composed of compacted soil with a small clay consistency.

Adobe is strong and built to last.  Traditional pueblo construction used limestone blocks and/or large adobe bricks.  In a typical pueblo building, adobe blocks form the walls of each room as well as a central courtyard.  These buildings can be up to five stories tall.  Movement between stories was traditionally accomplished by the use of wooden ladders.  Pueblos were also traditionally entered through rooftop openings as ground floor rooms didn’t have doors. 

https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/albuquerque-museum/casa-san-ysidro/documents/museum-lesson-architecture-of-new-mexico.pdf

Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital, sits in the Sangre de Cristo foothills. It’s renowned for its Pueblo-style architecture and as a creative arts hotbed. Founded as a Spanish colony in 1610, it has at its heart the traditional Plaza. Santa Fe is home to many galleries featuring everything from traditional art to contemporary. 

The surrounding historic district’s crooked streets wind past adobe landmarks including the Palace of the Governors, now home to the New Mexico History Museum. For 400+ years, Santa Fe has improved with age. The nation's oldest capital city experienced waves of migrations along the three trails that led here via the rails, and Route 66. Artists, chefs, wellness experts, and other creative dreamers all bring their culture, talents, and experience with them.  

Santa Fe is a unique blend of Anglo, Spanish and Native Cultures.  The cities backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo mountains’ majesty and the spectacular sunsets over the Jemez range: nothing short of magic transpires. 

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