Mesilla

The Town of Mesilla has a rich earthen architecture and cultural history. It was founded in 1848 by the Mexican government after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed at the end of the War with Mexico. A few years later in 1854 the ratification of the Gadsden Purchase occurred on the Mesilla Plaza with the raising of the American flag. There are many historical accounts of those early years. One of the most significant is its rapid growth. Mesilla quickly became the biggest town between San Antonio, Texas, and Los Angeles, California, going east to west and between Chihuahua and Santa Fe going south to north. However, in the 1880s Mesilla was bypassed by the railroad which went instead through nearby Las Cruces. And as a consequence, Mesilla’s economic base slowly dwindled. 

The coming of the railroad brought new products into the Mesilla Valley, one of which was cement. Commercial businesses began using cement on traditional adobe buildings to fortify and repair their foundations. Sadly, the damage these cement-based repairs created would not become apparent until many decades later, as the moisture and salt gradually impacted the base of the walls.

The passing of a generation of the adobe masons, maestros albañiles, who knew the traditional practices of using lime and mud plasters, further exacerbated the problems with maintenance of old adobe structures. In the ensuing years, countless adobe homes and historic buildings would disappear as the adobes crumbled, eroded and collapsed. In the present day, the use of cement-based products and the application of impermeable paint on adobe structures continues the damage to adobe structures.

Modern adobe homeowners face a challenge. Contractors, carpenters and masons are familiar with the use of cement-based plaster products, cement collars and impermeable paint products. While the techniques used by preservationists to repair damage to adobe walls caused by trapped moisture and salts are not readily available to homeowners. 

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.