The Decline of Craftsmanship

Above is a photo I took of the same poor church. You can click for a larger view.

Note the exquisite delicacy of the original cornices versus the heavyhanded clumsiness of the the "restored" cornices. A real decline in craftsmanship and aesthetics has taken place. The next post will explore the reasons why.

How is this reversible?

Love, Hate, the Pursuit of Happiness, and the Joys and Sorrows of Mortgage Free Living

I love this and I hate it. I'm not using extremes as a rhetorical device. I really love it with all my heart and I hate it too. It's just one of many examples of how Mexico has forced me to stretch my gut and my psyche to the breaking point.

These are pictures of the way most people here in Alamos start out their adult lives. They work, save money and buy a bag of cement and a few bricks every time they get a chance. Then they build their own house, little by little, without borrowing money. Without rent or a mortgage to pay, without the associated stress, they can then attend to what most Mexicans still think are the important things in life: friendship, family, and enjoyment of the here and now. In 5-10 years, the chances are good that this one room deal will turn into a 5 room palace, and will be plastered and painted outside. All without borrowing a dime. People who make about $150 a week do this routinely. Many even care enough about Alamos that they will eventually add colonial-style cornices and window and door details on this budget.

Some even start out in tar-paper shacks, camping out on their land until they get the first brick room built. They build on from there.

I've watched these new neighborhoods crop up around Alamos for nearly 10 years now. What appears to be a shantytown now will have cute little houses, fruit trees, a soccer field, children dressed in their school uniforms walking to school, and well dressed professionals in just a few years.

It is a testament to the Mexican work ethic, and to the millenia-old human struggle for happiness. While the American refrain was life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the Mexican motto was "justice, land, and liberty," because it was understood that there is no life and no pursuit of happiness without land. The Mexican experiment is new. The Constitution was written in 1917 and had much to say about land reform and redistribution. It is still a revolutionary government with a revolutionary constitution. The above lots were bought for about $100 each.

It also just common sense. The people who live in the homes shown above probably have a greater net worth than most US citizens with a $250,000 mortgage.

Mexicans should give lessons on economics around the world. Nobody can stretch a penny better.

I hate what the above pictures portray too. Brick homes are built with concrete corners and bond beams for a variety of reasons. It is a simple method of construction that requires little skill or knowledge, so just about anybody can do it--it is accessible to the masses. You can build slowly over time this way. No worries about adobe melting in the rain. And, in all fairness I should mention, we live close to the San Andreas fault, so concrete reinforcement is strongly recommended.

But as a result of this building method being in use over generations, the builders have lost the skill of their forefathers. Downtown colonial Alamos is an architectural wonder. There are stately old mansions with 3 foot thick adobe walls built higher than any new building in town, but with no cement and no concrete corners. The proportions and the architectural details are exquisite.

Ancient Rome and Chichen Itza were built without cement too. The stuff just isn't necessary. Aside from being ugly and brittle, Portland cement is an environmental nightmare and a conservator's curse.

I'm not to judge which is the the prettier picture. Is it better to have a more egailitarian society in which most everybody lives in concrete boxes, or was life better in colonial times when craftsmanship reigned but wealth was more grossly unequal than it is now? I'm not sure.

I will say, however, that if you compare the above photos with the best of Alamos' colonial architecture, you can't help but notice that craftsmanship in Sonora is but a shadow of its former self.

And in Mexico as a whole, a country that has churches and public buildings as impressive as any nation on Earth, and that boasted perhaps the greatest synthesis of architecture and ornament (in Maya architecture) in human history when Europe was still in the Dark Ages, these concrete boxes are going up everywhere. That is how far the modern world has fallen in terms of aesthetics.

In the Name of God

This blog is going to refer to the Mayo so often that I decided I want to show you a photo.

The picture was taken by Alejandra Platt.

Info for ordering a set of 10 photographic prints, entitled "In the Name of God," can be found on her website:

http://www.alejandraplatt.blogspot.com/

I met Alejandra during the annual music festival here in Alamos when she visited my studio with my friend Fernando. Later I ran into her at a late night concert downtown, where she was taking pictures. I tried to draw her out to talk about her experience of travelling around Mexico for 6 years taking photos of indigenous people, to no avail.

No matter. I love her work.

Here's her artist's statement for her exhibition: "My search within this complex of life is to know what I do not know... What I pine and long to demonstrate with this photographic exposition is the admiration I possess for my race... and offer to you these photographs as a homage to the suffering that we still continue to cause without even knowing that we do not know."

Songbirds

Songbirds

Every morning the sun sets,
every season is autumn.

When the songbirds are gone
crows and sparrows fill the sky.

Nothing changes, busy-ness as usual.
I can't stand the beauty.

Don't close your eyes.
Don't open your mouth.
Don't go on the same.

Daan Hoekstra, 1997

Nature Not Always Kind

A little over a year ago, Hurricane Norbert took out this bridge in Alamos. The governor and federal government responded with a massive aid package, but reconstruction of this bridge hasn't even begun.

Haematoxylum brasiletto

The Guarijio used ‘brasil’ wood (Haematoxylum brasiletto) to make a dye for coloring palm for baskets. Rosary crosses were made from red heartwood, and the tree has a long history of medicinal uses.

Recent studies show extracts of Haematoxylum brasiletto inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli, lending modern scientific credibility to traditional use.

‘Brasil’ is a legume, which makes it an important contributor to soil health. As an alternative to overharvesting of firewood it may be ecologically desirable to explore commercial value of extract for dye and medicinal properties. Brasil wood extract sells for $100 per kilogram, making commercialization a possibility.

Just today somebody offered me about 10 kilos of brasil for firewood for 8 pesos, or about 60 cents in US currency. 10 kilos of brasil can make one kilo of extract, so the woodcutter could make at least 10 times more money harvesting one tenth the amount of wood, if he sold extract instead of firewood. That would reduce harvesting as well as increase income enough to discourage lucrative yet ecologically destructive practices like cattle ranching or marijuana cultivation.

What's the Connection Anyway?

I couldn't resist taking the above photo. The subject leaves me perplexed. It is funky, it is a mess, but somehow it is beautiful and somehow it all works. Kind of like Alamos.

How do the the conservation of biological diversity and the conservation of cultural heritage connect? What unites conservation of nature with conservation of culture? What is the glue that holds together the diverse contents of this blog?

The answer is relatively simple. Methods and materials that damage Alamos' architectural heritage tend to be ecologically unsustainable as well. Alternative methods and materials that could rescue architectural heritage would have a positive impact on the environment.

The best example of uniting conservation strategies in this way has to do with portland cement, which is destroying Alamos' architectural heritage and is damaging to the environment as well.

The best alternative to cement would be pit lime...aged lime putty made from slaked quicklime. It is the proper material to use for the restoration of old buildings, and has a positive environmental impact.

Connections between the conservation of biological and cultural diversity can also be found in the various plant species (plants) mentioned in this blog. Certain species are important both to the preservation of cultural traditions and the conservation of our unique ecosystems. The best examples are indigo , brasil , and mesquite.

In researching links between the conservation of biological and cultural diversity related to plant species, I focused only on those plants that are important to local arts and crafts traditions. If the definition of culture were expanded to include plants important in construction, daily life, and medicine, hundreds of species could be included. That work has already been done by ethnobotanists and authors like David Yetman.

General currents and trends need to be taken into account as well. Economic globalization lays waste to cultural diversity around the world, and Alamos is an ideal place to witness the sad process, which is so absolutely powerful practically nothing can be done to slow it, or halt it. Economic globalization means homogeneity...the loss of everything that makes Alamos unique.

An economy based on unlimited growth damages both nature and culture. While this is very true, aesthetic concerns have to be balanced with a need to provide for a growing local population.

Spalling, an Introduction

This is Janet's restaurant Bacchino, where we used to get the best pizza in Mexico. I was sad to hear it closed.

The old wall is interesting. I'm not sure how old it is. Let's zoom in to a section just to the right of the picture above.

This is a classic case of what is called spalling. The old grout is whitish. Newer repointing is greyer, done with grout too rich in portland cement. The harder cement expands and contracts more than the softer brick, so the brick gets fractures and drops away. This happens when cement is used to repair old masonry which originally had lime grout. The cement will even blow out adjacent stone. You can see it all over town.

So...what happens is that attempts to repair invariably accelerate damage in the long run. NOTHING, but nothing, can convince the local builders to cut use of portland cement in the repair of old buildings and revert to the 100% lime grouts and plasters used by their ancestors. Current cement use has been practiced for generations, so builders are unwilling to change. Only a prolonged program of awareness-raising could turn things around.

What's Right About the Exterior Restoration

One positive aspect of the exterior restoration is that the material being used is the proper material for repair work on Alamos' architectural heritage. It is slaked quicklime, bought from Calidra de Sonora in Hermosillo...about 85% pure. For fresco painting we usually look for 90% CaO or better, but the Hermosillo lime is probably sufficient for this work.

I question whether the lime used on the exterior has been slaked long enough. Generally one year of slaking is required before use.

Some suggestions were ignored by the restorers and the patron's group. A great opportunity was lost. The church project could have been used to raise public awareness about the uses of lime. Workshops could have been held to train local builders in how to use lime and how to prevent spalling.

Alamos would have enjoyed the long-term aesthetic and environmental benefits of decreased cement use, as well as increased protection of its cultural heritage.

Alamos used to produce what was reputed to be the best lime in the state of Sonora, but local production ceased years ago. Reinitiating local production might have an economic and environmental benefit for the town.

Don't Mess

Most of the best-preserved old buildings in Alamos are in good condition because the owners have done practically nothing at all. Congratulations to Chela Alcorn, who owns this building. I like the way she has kept it. The lines, proportions and details display a level of art not seen in new construction.

The Alcorn family in general deserves a prize for not altering old buildings. Some are in dire need of expert attention, but in the meantime, they have been kept intact.

Spalling 2

This is typical spalling caused naturally from age, and possibly from groundwater wicking upwards in the wall. Using cement for repairs will only accelerate the damage. Cement expands and contracts more than the softer brick, and it is not breatheable, so water would be trapped inside the wall. This wall should be repaired with lime putty and brick.

Spalling 3

The old stone wall was repointed with cement. The expansion and contraction of the cement will probably fracture the stone, and will certainly damage the softer brick to the right.

Spalling 4

This is a neat old building. You can see a lot of spalling down low, probably caused by groundwater and salts seeping upwards.

Restorers in England determined that a lot of knee-high masonry damage in that country is also caused by urine. Human urine contains a lot of salts, as well as uric acid, and water--all damaging to masonry. The British pub culture is not unlike Alamos cantina culture, so the cause of long-term damage here might be similar.

Let's take a closer look.

Here you can see spalling, lower center. The grey cement used to repoint the brick to the right will accelerate the brick damage in a matter of years, requiring more repair, and so on. Only the authority of outside experts could possibly convince the builders to change their ways.

From a Letter to Mom

You asked about curanderos. They are not just faith healers. It is more about cleansing...removing negative energies both internal and external. Sometimes it's about removing curses. And it's combined with herbal remedies and rituals.

Luis Alberto Urrea was interviewed about the research he did for his book "The Hummingbird's Daughter," about his ancester Teresa Urrea, the Santa de Cabora. He went to Mexico to learn about curanderos. A curandera told him: "You people say we do magic, but it is science."

Reading that made it so clear to me, so easy to understand.

Modern science begins with assumptions. It is:
1) An examination of matter as if spirit does not exist.
2) Observation of matter as if there is no connection between the observer and the observed. The observer is to be as detached and as impartial as possible, almost as if he does not exist. No room for human emotion. Science cannot describe a smile.
3) An observation of a part, while losing sight of the whole.

Indigneous science begins with a different set of asssumptions. It allows for spirit and matter to exist simulaneously and recognizes a link, however subtle, between observer and observed, allowing for the essential humanity and integrity of the person, as well as recognizing the relationship between the parts and the whole. So it is a whole scientific tradition based on another set of assumptions.

Goethe reacted against Newton's color theory because it was replacing a magical, poetic, spiritual worldview. See my article here.

Modern science creates modern technology, based on science's assumptions, so the technologies carry us further and further away from direct perception of reality, and the thing snowballs.

Here in Mexico, at least, the indigenous worldview still exists and still pervades some aspects of the culture, so unusual things can still happen and be noticed here. John Paul II called it the most Catholic country in the world, the last bastion of the faith. It isn't yet overrun by the belief that science is the only truth.

It isn't that modern science is wrong. It is partial due to its partial premises.

A good friend of mine calls her country "surrealistic Mexico!"