Mesilla Workshop Series
The Mesilla Workshop Series is designed to provide opportunities for homeowners, people in the construction industry, caretakers of adobe structures (National Parks Service, State Parks) and anyone with a love for adobe buildings to have hands-on training in the repair and maintenance of adobe structures. The workshops will focus on adobe homes in Mesilla which are in need of repair.
Inscription and Fee Options
2-Day Weekend Workshop
Participants: 8 maximum / 4 minimum Date: April 15th and 16th, 2023 Fee*: $250
4-Day Workshop
Participants: 6 maximum / 4 minimum Date: May 1st - 4th and May 8th - 11th, 2023 Fee*: $300
8-Day Workshop
Participants: 6 maximum / 4 minimum Date: coming soon Fee*: $350
Note: Fees charged will be applied toward providing lodging and food for the project intern, as well as covering overhead expenses.
*Discount fees for local residents, non-profit organizations, National Park Service and State Parks and educational institutions. Contact us and depending upon your status we will send you the discount code.
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2-Day Weekend Workshop
Adobe in Action is sponsoring weekend workshops; Intro to adobe preservation.
April 15th and 16th, 2023
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4-Day Workshop
Adobe building and preservation
1880s Pemo Gamboa House restoration in Mesilla
May 1st to 4th and May 8th to 11th
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8-Day Workshop
Adobe building and preservation
1880s Pemo Gamboa House restoration in Mesilla
coming soon
Spring 2023 Programs: 1880s Pemo Gamboa House restoration
The current project is the 1880s Pemo Gamboa House in Mesilla located just off the plaza. The Gamboa home is listed on State Register of Cultural Properties and National Register of Historic Places. The scope of the work will be specific to moisture-salt based damage at the base of the adobe walls.
Curriculum
Participants will learn how to:
assess and document damage
remove cement plaster and concrete collars
management of the water dynamics (moisture-salt damage)
soil composition and testing
adobe making & laying
stitch-in adobes to repair damage
mud plastering and lime plastering
anchor techniques ”rajuelar” and lime-wash applications.
Note: In the three workshop options you will learn the same topics (for this project), but with the longer workshop option you will recieve more intensive training.
Teacher: Pat Taylor
Pat has been involved in carpentry and masonry for 45 years. In 1981 he built his first adobe home for his family in the Mesilla Valley in southern New Mexico. He started contracting as “Mesilla Taylor Construction”, NM Lic. #30168 GB 98 General Contractor, in 1987 specializing in adobe restoration in southern New Mexico.
Mesilla and Regional Tours
The workshops include historic and cultural tours, where you will meet local people and enjoy their traditions…
Lodging Options
The workshop fee doesn’t include lodging and meals. However, we have available rooms in Guadalupe house in wich workshop participants could have discount. Contact us if you are interested.
Internships
Internships are a unique opportunity for immersion into a field of study providing a multi-discipline approach to learning. The Mesilla Workshop Series has been designed to sponsor and support internships within the ongoing workshops. The purpose of the internship program will be to provide training for the next generation of people interested in earthen architecture and preservation.
Coming Workshops
Pemo Gamboa House will host several more workshops in the summer and fall.
Our coming project site is the 1850s Valles/Gallegos Home which has already hosted several previous workshops. Basal stabilization on this building has already been completed. Work on this project will consist of upper wall repairs and laying in adobes between rafters.
