The National Park Service ran a Vanishing Treasures hands-on workshop at Mesa Verde National Park in the autumn of 2016, on the preservation of Ancestral Puebolan masonry, which comprises the majority of the ancient cliff dwelling sites within the park. My interest was sparked by the work with adobe materials we had been doing on our projects in Texas, and the course proved to be a fascinating look into the preservation methods utilized for this "adobe adjacent" material.
Oak Tree House, a tour to a special site typically not open to the public.
The trail to Oak Tree House utilized original footholds, with the addition of modern ladders.
Up close in Oak Tree House.
A sieve system park staff use for analyzing sand used in mortars.
Table showing the various colors and gradations of sand and soil used in preservation work.
WPA-era staff housing built at the park is still in use.
A side trip to Albuquerque enabled me to examine regional adobe styles.
