Plastering in Mora
We are excited to report back on our early successes in plastering churches in Mora. Our staff and volunteers, Angela Francis, Tom Slocum, Ruben Kimmelman, Alejandro Jaramillo, and Kateri Lopez, joined volunteers from the surrounding community working on the repairs to the Santa Teresita Church in El Turquillo. A smaller crew, including volunteer Debbie Long, helped plaster San Antonio Catholic Church in Cleveland, NM. Passerbys cheered and honked horns as we worked, particularly in Cleveland, where the church is on a main road. The drive-by feedback imparted positive feelings in Mora, refreshing at a time when fire and flood have been so present in the community.
The first three photos are from Cleveland, provided by Angela Francis; photos below that are photos from Santa Teresita provided by the Mayordoma, Rebecca Montoya.
Progress at Moque Morada
A guest post by friend of Cornerstones, Anne Galer.
With the help of the Abiquiu community, Cornerstones’ adobe experts and volunteers, preservation work on the Moque Morada is nearing completion. When the project began in early 2019, my structural assessment revealed large parts of the interior adobe walls had been melted by water. Faulty drainage from the old metal roof was allowing water to collect at the base of the exterior north wall, and windowpanes were broken. It was clear that intervention was needed before serious damage endangered the entire structure.
The Moque Morada is unusual in that women are its caretakers. Theresa Jaramillo, the Hermana Mayor of the morada, reached out, and Cornerstones got involved. Thanks to Cornerstones’ Stephen Calles, the metal roof which was damaged by winds and age was secured, and a new gutter and downspouts now channel water away from the building.
A Documentary on TICRAT
Our thanks to Barb Odell, who has made us another great video, this one documenting TICRAT 2022, a four-day workshop this past June where some of the finest adobe builders in NM taught a range of adobe building skills. This 37-minute film produced by Cornerstones Community Partnerships captures the feeling of the workshops as narrated by Abiquiú community member Virgil Trujillo. We hope you enjoy it.