Last time, I talked about patterns and textures in the Santa Fé area. There are so many of them both in nature and in the structures that man has built over the centuries. This blog shows more of the man-made adobe shapes.

I love the vigas that so typify the adobe buildings, old and new, in the Southwest. Vigas, for those unfamiliar with the term, are the roof beams made from stripped trees. Sometimes, they are weathered and pale. At other times, they have been stained, along with regular beams and wood supports, and offer rich contrast to the adobe walls as with this building. Nothing is ever quite straight. After all, the adobe bricks that are the base of so many of these walls are hand made, a very labor-intensive job. No precision instruments in this process!

In this case, the viga goes across the top of the shuttered window. With the bunch of peppers hanging on the wall, and the blue of the window, I could not resist making a couple of photographs of the side of the building. Color always catches my eye, and with these near-complementary colors, it was a no-brainer!

Occasionally, we come across adobe shapes that are fantastical, Gaudi-ish in feeling, such as these along the side of a building. They were so much fun to photograph, although for this one, I had to get into a near-impossible position to get the shot I wanted.

At our B&B in one location, we were greeted by this door. Arnie and I both photographed it. It was at once so welcoming and so promising of privacy. The photograph underneath is a detail of that little window off to the right.

The first Spanish missions in New Mexico were established in the late 16th century. The history of the missionaries and the Indians is a checkered one, sometimes culminating in great revolts by the natives who drove the Spaniards away. Now, the church seems to co-exist peacefully with many of the pueblo Indians, many of whom continue with their traditional ways and ceremonies. This doorway, if you look carefully, shows a view of pueblo buildings beyond. I found the contrast interesting.

And speaking of traditional ways, in the traditional pueblo houses, one often entered through the roof accessed with wooden ladders such as this one. The ladders are made with two tapered trees being notched at appropriate intervals. The rungs are then laid into the often-shallow notches and secured with rawhide, baling wire, or whatever else is available to wrap around the joint. The ladders could be pulled up to the roof, thus keeping enemies and other unwelcome guests out. There were a number of these ladders in this area, but what caught my eye with this one, was the mop hanging out to dry.

We learned this trip, that every year, usually in September when it’s not too hot, yet still dry, that all the buildings get a new coat of adobe to keep them fresh and strong against the elements. We are grateful for this, as many of these structures have been around for several centuries, always a feast for our artistic eyes.

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