11 Most Endangered
Adobe Churches of New Mexico
Year Listed: 1996
Location: New Mexico
Current Status: Favorable
Threat: Deterioration, Natural Forces
Nearly one-third of New Mexico's 362 catalogued earthen churches, many older than the United States, are in imminent danger of being lost. This crisis is a result of various factors, including shrinking congregations, loss of traditional adobe building skills, misdirected maintenance efforts and a lack of resources to initiate repairs and restorations. An award-winning nonprofit organization, Cornerstones Community Partnerships has been a key force in successfully assisted over 150 communities in stabilizing or restoring some structures through a community based process. This process teaches at-risk youth the traditional adobe building skills and appreciation of their culture and community. However, each year the demand far exceeds the availability of assistance and the list of crumbling landmarks continues to grow.
Update
The Most Endangered listing helped Cornerstones Community Partnerships, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of community-owned historic buildings, with special expertise in earthen structures, to raise needed funds. Cornerstones staff has as of this writing provided assistance to more than 100 communities by planning, organizing and implementing community-driven preservation projects, providing on-site technical assistance, conducting bi-national (Mexico and US) earthen architecture workshops on various aspects of adobe repair and maintenance and updating and re-publishing Adobe Conservation - A Preservation Handbook. The 2006 summer season resulted in the completion of adobe preservation projects, not just in new Mexico, but also in California and Texas. In New Mexico preservation work was completed at Santa Rita mission in Lucero, SAn Acacio mission in Golondrinas, San Pedro mission in Youngsville, and initiated at the "new" church (c. 1940) at Ojo Caliente. In 2007, work will begin on the great Spanish Colonial mission complex at the Pueblo of Isleta and a traditional earthen roof will be restored to San Esteban del Rey, the c. 1629 mission complex at the Pueblo of Acoma. Technical assessments of adobe church structures continue to be a service offered to communities by Cornerstones in New Mexico and throughout the Southwest.
