| This is the second in a series of adobe conservation workshops
held cooperatively by Heritage Conservation Network and Misiones
Coloniales, the latter a non-profit organization established to
assist local residents in conserving their historic missions. The
first workshop in the series was held
at Santa Ana de la Joya Mission where residents had volunteered
their own time to initiate the work. The location of the 2004 workshop
is not yet established and will be determined by the urgency and
the progress made at several missions under consideration. The work
will include making and replacing adobes, restoration of lime plaster,
and/or conservation of interior decorative painting. Details will
be added as they become available.
These workshops were undertaken by HCN to assist the state of Chihuahua,
Mexico with their enormous task of conserving their 168 mission
churches. These missions were built over a 300-year period,
beginning in 1563, under the guidance of the Jesuit and Franciscan
missionaries. Most of the missions were built of adobe, some of
stone, and were covered with lime plaster on both exterior and interior.
Interiors range from simple, austere finishes to vividly painted
walls and decoratively carved and painted wooden ceilings. The local
residents, the Tarahumara, still consider their missions to be the
social, as well as religious, center of each town. Missions are
the site of festivals and other gatherings even when no priest is
available to perform mass. Conservation is greatly needed to reverse
several hundred years of unavailable resources and to preserve the
artistic and cultural heritage of the region.
The cost of the one-week workshop is US$675, and participants will
stay in the homes of local residents. Fees will cover: lodging,
meals with the host family, bottled water for the week, transportation
between the city of Chihuahua and the site, insurance, and workshop
materials. Transportation to the city of Chihuahua is not included
and is the responsibility of the participant. The workshop agenda
will be finalized approximately two weeks before the workshop. It
is recommended that acidophilus be taken for several weeks prior
to arrival in Mexico to reduce the likelihood of intestinal problems.
The missions are from 1 to 3 hours from the large city of Chihuahua,
so bring all items needed for the week. Transportation will be available
to return to Chihuahua during the week if necessary.
Chihuahua may be reached by air, arriving at the Chihuahua Airport,
or by bus if coming from the U.S. Express bus service is available
to the city of Chihuahua from Juarez, which is directly across the
U.S. border from El Paso, Texas, which has an international airport.
A van will take participants from Chihuahua to the site.
Temperatures in early October range from 55° to 85° F
(13° to 28°C). Days may still be hot, though the nights
are cool, so sunscreen and hats are recommended as well as attire
appropriate both for the weather and for protection while working.
Sturdy shoes and work gloves are recommended. Please be conscious
that safety is an important issue at any work site. Protection of
skin and eyes is of added importance when working with lime.
If you need additional information, please contact us at workshops@heritageconservation.net
or call +1 303-444-0128.
If you find this project exciting, but are unable to attend, you
can still participate by supporting conservation work at the mission
churches and other project sites with a gift to HCN. Donations are
tax deductible and will be used in a variety of ways - to sponsor
a participant, to provide materials needed for conservation work,
or to provide teaching materials for participants, just to name
a few.
We've partnered with Groundspring.org to make it easy and safe
for you to donate online:
If you would prefer to mail in a gift, please use our donation
form. |
