Adobe (History)
Introduction
adobe, a word that comes from the Arabic al-tub[1] (طوب), is an unbaked brick,[2] a construction piece made from a mass of mud (clay and sand), sometimes mixed with straw, molded into a brick shape and dried in the sun; With them, various types of construction elements are built, such as walls, walls and arches "Arch (architecture)").[3] The technique of making them and their use are widespread throughout the world, found in many cultures that never had a relationship with each other.
History
One of the oldest known cities, Çatalhöyük, in Anatolia, from the 7th millennium BC, had houses built of adobe. In Ancient Egypt, adobe, made from silt from the Nile, was frequently used in the construction of houses, tombs (mastabas), fortresses, and even palaces, although the Egyptians were also the first to use carved stone to erect temples, pyramids and other monumental buildings.
In Peru, there is the largest mud city in America and the world: the citadel of Chan Chan (1200-1480) belonging to the Chimú culture, as well as the Sacred City of Caral (3000 BC - 1800 BC) considered the oldest human settlement in America built on the basis of adobe. Likewise, some chronicles from the [4th] century record that the leaders of the Tallans lived in palaces built with this material.
In Spain it is characteristic, among other dry regions, of Castilla y León where straw is added to the mud. The adobe buildings are usually renovated with a layer of the same mud, which gives them that curious appearance of the typical houses of Tierra de Campos. It is also common in semi-desert regions of Africa, Central America and South America ("Rancho (housing)").
The term adobe, in Spanish, although with the spelling adoves, appears for the first time already in 1139-1149, in the so-called “Fuero de Pozuelo de Campos” (today Pozuelo de la Orden, in the Province of Valladolid).[5].
In Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and in the north and center of Chile, adobe houses are still the heritage of many humble families, who have preserved this tradition since time immemorial. Mixing dry grass with mud allows for proper agglutination, great resistance to weathering, and prevents the blocks from cracking once solidified. The blocks are then adhered to each other with mud to build walls.
The "launched" is a usual unit for the sale of adobes that consists of 220 units of these.[6].