ADAPTABLE RURAL

Mora County is a rural county comprised of 1,930 square miles with an average population density of 2.7 persons per square mile, of mostly Hispanic origin (78%). Mora Valley, with settlements originating back to the early 19th century, is located in the western part of Mora county in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

The culture is strongly tied to land and water, with acequia systems and agriculatural activities forming an integral part of community, survival, and governance. These have shaped residential land use and how homes were built and used for generations. The economic activities are many and varied, with an entrepreneurial spirit. A resident can be involved in multiple types of activities any given day, season, or year.

Acequia Schematic

These communities remain resilient against continuing threats from devastating climate events and health and economic hardships. New or remodeled homes can help promote sustained well-being by supporting adaptablity to changing household needs while amplifying rural heritage and economic flexibility.

Mora and San Miguel County, NM

Elizabeth Rivera-Dirks

Floor plan of a historic home in Brazos, NM

In historicl Northern New Mexico Hispanic building tradition, the home is modular; the basic building unit is the single room. A family generally began by building a single, self sufficient room, usually rectangular in shape with a single door to the outside. In the midnineteenth century, even in large houses, a single room often served as the focus of all household activities: sleeping, cooking, eating, bathing, and entertaining. As the growth of the family required, and as resources allowed, additional rooms were added in a linear arrangement (Wilson, 1991).

Compressed earth block (CEB), also referred to as compressed adobe, is an earthen building technique invented in Gaviotas Columbia and spread world wide, that leverages a machine to compress local earth into adobe bricks.

Pros

• Local, on-site soil is usually suitable

• No need to dry or cure

• Wall can be assembled by dry stacking the blocks or using a slurry

• Allowed by the New Mexico building code

• Excellent thermal mass

• Fire resistant

CONS

• Requires compressor machine