Adobe Architecture & Mud Plastering Workshop, May 16 & 17, 2026
Adobe Architecture & Mud Plastering Workshop, May 16 & 17, 2026
Weekend workshop on adobe architectural construction, adobe arches, windows and mud plastering and aliz (a clay slip paint) processes.
Instructors: Joanna Keane Lopez & Helen Levine (Co-owner of NM Earth Industries, adobe manufacturers since 1972)
Date: Saturday and Sunday, May 16 & 17, 2026
Time: 11:30am-5:30pm
Day 1: Saturday will begin with a tour of New Mexico Earth Adobes, a large scale adobe manufacturing yard, founded in 1971. We will then focus on soil analysis and composition, mixing adobe in wheelbarrows, laying adobe bricks, introduction to tools and foundations, and adobe wall construction with emphasis on corners, mortar, plumb and leveling techniques.
Day 2: Sunday morning will begin with a lecture and conversation in the shaded patio. We will cover history, politics, codes and cultural contexts of adobe architecture in New Mexico and beyond. A library of books on adobe will be available for students. The rest of the day will be focused on adobe mud plastering “enjarre” and an intro to alíz (a clay slip paint) and constructing adobe arches and windows.
+ Optional tours of local earthen sites recommended through the workshop.
Where: The workshop takes place at New Mexico Earth Adobes: an adobe brick manufacturing yard in the North Valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Delicious snacks and refreshments will be provided both days to students.
Limit of 14 participants.
Photos by Kevin Beltrán @that_shiwi