The Fiesta de Barro was an event that took place in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico in January 2006. A small team of 5 organized the event to build a bench. We promoted the event for 3 days before, handing out hand made flyers throughout the backpackers resort (Pan Chan) where we were staying and talking to people. We also invited people from an indigenous community a couple hours away that we had been to. They brought a van of about 10 people to the event, staying at Pan Chan the night before. About 50-70 people attended the event in total which started at 10 am and finished late in the afternoon. Before the event we had the sand delivered and paid for by Chato who owned the land that the event took place on. He also let us use his truck to transport a bunch of stones that we used for the foundation. Chato also owned the restuarant that brought over allot of the food that fed everyone. Allot of people also brought food to share such that there was plenty for everyone. We had a bunch of musicians that came out and played and sang folk songs all day while the building took place. Below are photos with captions that show the process.
After the event one of the participants made introductions to a high school downtown that liked the program and used it to build a small model scale cabana on the school premises.
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passing the clay mud from the river bank to the stomping/mixing pit. Notice the musicians in background providing rhythm to "work" to.
catching a big blob of mud
musicians providing rhythm to "work" to
Everybody stomps on the clay mud, sand and straw/fiber to form one homogenous mixture
musicians including mud covered digereedu player make rhythm to "work" to.
Don Moises and friends at the event
Nueva Batania Mayan community members at the event, sitting on the stones that form the foundation of the bench
Ladies sculpting mud into a bench
Making bricks to dry in sun for a while before laying in place to make bench.
face painting with natural pigments from jungle plant
The sculpted bench is coming together
playing a traditional Mayan instrument at the event provides rhythm to "work" to.
circling up before eating together at end of project
The bench is completed . Hand sculpted from clay rich earth, sand and fibrous straw from jungle plant.. A natural plaster is applied to the outside made of Cal (limestone) Sal (Salt) and Nopal (wild cactus juice that is sticky) Manure and cla y is also added to the plaster mixture.
The following Conalep School Project in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico.
students mixing the earth, sand and straw with bare feet while other students to the left make music with singing and beating on water containers.
students in front of the structure before the plastering
the structure after first coat of plaster (and a heavy monsoon rain pour)
