Please refer to the last post:
to follow along with the annual remudding
of this famous church by a strong community of parishioners and neighbors.
Just last summer a service was held here for Dennis Hopper
before he was laid to rest in Taos.
Last summer I did four posts on the church and plaza:
In the above photo the front buttresses are being touched up.
This woman goes around and cleans along the base of the wall
as the fresh mud sets up.
These women are finishing up a section of wall.
The wall is wet before applying the mud
and then a light spray after the application keeps it from drying out too fast.
A wet brush is used to merge the new plaster into the old
and smooth out the mud.
Once the base coat has been applied an alis is used as the finish coat.
This is a more soupy version of the earthen plaster that can be applied by brush
or more traditionally a piece of sheepskin.
Carole Crews talks about the use of an alis in her book
which I mentioned in the post of the same name:
Let's meet the folks who make this happen.
There are women,...
...kids taking a break,...
and men.
These guys were mixing the mud
but also gave me instructions on making red chile,
a staple in these parts.
Adobe for homes,
church for community,
and red chile for spice
are three important ingredients
for a good life in northern New Mexico.
The crane operator is styling in the shade with his son,
or is it his grandson.
Gabriel, on the right, is the project manager.
After two weeks of hard work the job will be done till next year,
and ready for the summer rains to start.
This is a community, proud and confident, sure of their job.
To see more check out the Labels section on the right side bar
and click on Building In Taos, New Mexico
or Spiritual Places.
