Terlingua, part2

The earlier photos show the larger buildings, but most of the remains are of much smaller size. Some are nothing but a pile of rubble, others have fragments of wall remaining. Most were simple one room huts, few are still being lived in today.



What's so great about the ruins is that you can see what different construction techniques were used. Above, the front blocks are a mixture of clay/dirt/hay bricks and they're clearly mortared with what looks like a similar mix. The wall behind it consists of stacked rocks. They're thin, flat pieces, so they're pretty stable. But there's no mortar. I'll try not to think of the number of spiders living in them...



Time has worn away the bricks, a shrub now inhabits an old room. The stacked walls remain.



One small building looked like it was still viable, so we investigated.



The walls on either side of the door were lightly mortared with concrete, but the process had been abandoned before completion.



The back walls were well mortared, but the highest points hadn't been touched.



The awning? Made of rows of yucca stalks. Construction materials on hand are often enough well suited for the region. Perhaps it's a lesson we still haven't learned very well.