To understand why a still-standing hundred-year-old house is a phenomenon, some attention must be given to construction on the north coast of Colombia at the time.
In most of the US, we had much different building techniques due to our need of keeping warm in the winter. Although most places have hot summers, a lot of the US--even the deep South--can and do get snowfalls, even in this age of global warming.
No such thing in this Colombian town. The area I'm drawn to is in the winding delta of the Sinú River, a plain of fertile soil and twice-daily rainfall, once home to the finest indigenous goldsmiths in all of South America.
The homes built around the turn of the 1900s all needed to provide shelter from the sun and rain. Other provisions, but not many, had be made for fungi and moss that grow in the dark, warm, shade. Nothing lasts too long under these conditions, except, a significant element of the population, but I'll write about them another time.
The houses were made by reeds nailed to a hard wood frame. Mud (usually cow manure) was stuffed into the cracks on both sides, and finally, plaster with casein was troweled on. Several coats of oil-based paint sealed the deal, with occasional patch-ups.
The ceilings are high, and the roofs are made from corrugated sheet metal. In some areas, curved brick is put on top of this, but mostly not. Instead, sometimes the roofs are thatched with dried palms.
There are bars on every window and two-level shutters for the afternoon and nighttime. These homes do not have screens, since the insects in the area can easily enter the standard mesh. Instead, people used mosquito nets; I discovered some still cling to that tradition.
In most of the US, we had much different building techniques due to our need of keeping warm in the winter. Although most places have hot summers, a lot of the US--even the deep South--can and do get snowfalls, even in this age of global warming.
No such thing in this Colombian town. The area I'm drawn to is in the winding delta of the Sinú River, a plain of fertile soil and twice-daily rainfall, once home to the finest indigenous goldsmiths in all of South America.The homes built around the turn of the 1900s all needed to provide shelter from the sun and rain. Other provisions, but not many, had be made for fungi and moss that grow in the dark, warm, shade. Nothing lasts too long under these conditions, except, a significant element of the population, but I'll write about them another time.
The houses were made by reeds nailed to a hard wood frame. Mud (usually cow manure) was stuffed into the cracks on both sides, and finally, plaster with casein was troweled on. Several coats of oil-based paint sealed the deal, with occasional patch-ups.The ceilings are high, and the roofs are made from corrugated sheet metal. In some areas, curved brick is put on top of this, but mostly not. Instead, sometimes the roofs are thatched with dried palms.
There are bars on every window and two-level shutters for the afternoon and nighttime. These homes do not have screens, since the insects in the area can easily enter the standard mesh. Instead, people used mosquito nets; I discovered some still cling to that tradition.
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