Boulder, Colorado, 4 November, 2002 - 

If you would like to experience the benefits of mud, but don't care to be pampered at a spa, consider spending a week learning how to turn mud into building material while working to restore a 19th century adobe home in Mesilla, NM. During the week of October 5-11, 2003, participants in Heritage Conservation Network's Adobe Conservation Workshop will be getting their hands dirty mixing and making adobe bricks, and learning other conservation techniques, while assisting a restoration project aimed at preserving the City of Mesilla's historic core of adobe structures.

HCN workshops bring people and preservation projects together, providing valuable assistance in exchange for the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people, and work toward a common goal. "Our workshops appeal to people on many levels and consequently we usually attract a very good mix of participants, who bring a variety of skills to the project," says Jamie Donahoe, HCN's Operations Director. "In Mesilla, for example, we anticipate that some participants will be drawn to the beauty or history of the area or the aesthetics of adobe structures, while others are there because they enjoy pitching in for a good cause." This workshop is a cooperative effort with a program developed by the City of Mesilla to promote community stability and restore its historic core of adobe structures.

In addition to their work on the residence in Mesilla, workshop participants will spend one day visiting and working at the Socorro Mission outside of El Paso, Texas, which is approximately one hour from Mesilla. The Mission was originally built in 1691, destroyed by two floods, and rebuilt at its present location in 1843. Conservation work has been underway for several years.

HCN's workshops are led by conservation experts, who teach the participants and guide the work through the week. Pat Taylor, a Mesilla native and long-time advocate of conserving adobe structures using traditional techniques, will be leading October's workshop. The workshop fee is $875 per person and includes accommodation at a nearby inn, most meals, insurance, project materials and transportation between the workshop sites. Transportation to Mesilla is the responsibility of the participant. Full program details and registration information are available online at www.heritageconservation.net/ws_mesilla.htm.

Heritage Conservation Network organizes an annual series of hands-on building conservation workshops. Other workshops offered in 2003 include working at Hulihe'e Palace in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, a stone chapel at a farm in Sicily, and a centuries-old mission church in Chihuahua, Mexico. More information is available from www.heritageconservation.net or from the HCN office, 1557 North Street, Boulder, Colorado 80304, +1 303 444 0128, E-mail workshops@heritageconservation.net.

Heritage Conservation Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of architectural heritage around the world. Through a network of experts, volunteers and community members, we aim to increase awareness of the significance of historic sites and stimulate each community's interest in and knowledge of appropriate conservation skills, thus helping to provide for the long-term preservation of significant structures and sites.