[ESP] ARQUITECTURA POPULAR TRADICIONAL
[ENG] TRADITIONAL POPULAR ARCHITECTURE
El hermano mayor de mi madre, mi tío Rafael, fue un hombre bueno, decente, educado, respetuoso, letrado, pasó toda su vida en el campo. Fue un campesino dedicado en cuerpo y alma a la tierra, jamás salió de ella, nunca se casó ni procreó hijos. Se convirtió en un padre para nosotros y fue él quien estuvo pendiente de mi madre en todo momento. Durante su vida construyó todas las casas donde vivió utilizando la técnica rudimentaria del bahareque o barro. Él diseñaba y construía su vivienda de acuerdo con el espacio que disponía para tal fin. Los embates del clima o del tiempo jamás destruyeron su lugar de habitación porque imperaba la fortaleza en la estructura: columnas de madera, vigas del mismo material, paredes de barro o arcilla y techo de cinc. Internamente dividía los espacios, habitación, comedor y cocina de manera simétrica y el baño generalmente lo hacía en la parte exterior de la casa. Su aposento siempre fue acogedor, ordenado y muy limpio. ¡No importa cuán humilde seas, tu espacio debe estar pulcro y ordenado!
My mother's older brother, my uncle Rafael, was a good, decent, educated, respectful, legal man, spent his whole life in the country. He was a peasant dedicated in body and soul to the earth, never left it, never married or fathered children. He became a father to us and he was the one who kept an eye on my mother at all times. During his life he built all the houses where he lived using the rudimentary technique of bahareque or mud. He designed and built his home according to the space he had for this purpose. The onsludes of climate or time never destroyed its room place because the fortress prevailed in the structure: wooden columns, beams of the same material, mud or clay walls and zinc ceiling. Internally it divided the spaces, room, dining room and kitchen symmetrically and the bathroom usually did so on the outside of the house. His room was always cozy, tidy and very clean. No matter how humble you are, your space must be neat and tidy!
Así como mi tío Rafael, experto en construcción rural, amable con la naturaleza al utilizar materiales propios de la región sin afectar el ambiente; también en mi barrio, zona urbana, al margen de la ciudad, existieron verdaderos maestros de la construcción, hombres talentosos y muy trabajadores, que sin ser ingenieros fueron muy ingeniosos, sin ser arquitectos proyectaban y diseñaban en cualquier terreno y espacio. Empíricos albañiles se encargaron de dirigir y construir las viviendas que poco a poco fueron conformando la comunidad. Desde niño y en mis años mozos fui testigo de la transformación de las casas; los viejos ranchos de madera, hojalata y bambú, se hicieron a un lado para darle paso al bloque, a la cabilla y al cemento. Los antiguos techos de zinc, que tanto nos protegieron del sol y de la lluvia, mientras no habían sido agujereados por una piedra, los cambiaron por platabandas de vigas, tabelones, mallas y concreto, evitando así las goteras que convertían los pisos de tierra o de cemento en una galería de envases multicolores y ollas de todos los tamaños, que al compás de tac tac tac se iban llenando de aquella cristalina, fría y bendita agua. Confieso que mis mejores años lo pasé en mi vieja morada... aun recuerdo el olor a tierra mojada y el relajante sonido de la lluvia cayendo sobre la techumbre.
As well as my uncle Rafael, expert in rural construction, kind to nature by using materials typical of the region without affecting the environment; also in my neighborhood, urban area, on the margins of the city, there were real masters of construction, talented and very hardworking men, who without being engineers were very ingenious, without being architects could project and design in any terrain and space. Empirical masons were responsible for directing and building the homes that gradually formed the community. As a child and in my younger years I witnessed the transformation of houses; the old ranches of wood, tin and bamboo were set aside to give way to the block, cabilla and cement. The old zinc ceilings, which protected us so much from the sun and rain, while not being punctured by a stone, exchanged them for silverons of beams, slats, meshes and concrete, thus avoiding the leaks that turned the dirt or cement floors into a gallery of multicolored containers and pots of all sizes, which to the beat of tac tac were filled with that crystalline , cold and blessed water. I confess that my best years I spent in my old abode... I still remember the smell of wet earth and the soothing sound of rain falling on the roof.
¡Manos a la obra!, exclamaban con emoción los siempre listos y dispuestos ayudantes, mientras chocaba sus respectivas botellas de cerveza o vasos con la bebida de su preferencia, dando así, inicio al trabajo. Carretillas iban y venían, bloques, cabillas, rollos de alambres y mallas, clavos, tablas, arena, tierra, cemento, agua y el chasquear de las palas batiendo la mezcla, la música a todo volumen, los gritos de alegría y el aroma del sancocho animaban la faena, todos ayudaban con alegría sin esperar dinero a cambio, solo bastaba la cerveza y la comida.
Let's get to work, the always-ready and willing helpers exclaimed with emotion, as their respective bottles of beer or glasses collided with the drink of their choice, thus starting work. The materials came and went, blocks, bars, wire rolls, electrowelded meshes, nails, boards, sand, earth, cement, water and the snapping of the shovels beating the mixture, the music at full volume, the cries of joy and the aroma of the sancocho encouraged the work, all helped with joy without waiting for money in return, only beer and food sufficed.
En mi barrio el trabajo en equipo fue muy importante para consolidar nuestra comunidad y fortalecer cada hogar, hoy recuerdo con nostalgia esa experiencia de amor al prójimo y solidaridad vecinal que ayudó en su momento a mejorar la calidad de vida de muchas familias las cuales lograron con su esfuerzo y trabajo honrado tener una vivienda digna.
In my ward teamwork was very important to consolidate our community and strengthen each home, today I remember with nostalgia that experience of love for neighbor and neighborhood solidarity that helped in its time to improve the quality of life of many families which achieved with their effort and honest work to have a decent home.
Hello @marcosmilano71, it is interesting to see the type of vernacular architecture you have in your country, its evolution, and the memory you have of your Uncle Rafael who worked tirelessly in the construction industry.
Infinite blessings from Venezuela. Good morning. Hey, @discoveringarni. I made this publication as a tribute to the great popular builders and those who apply ancestral techniques, either in the rural sector or in the urban sector. I started by recognizing my late Uncle Rafael María Rangel, who, in addition to uncle, was a father to me. He was lived, practically, like a hermit, he was a great man, humble and hard-working, never left his land. I wanted to make his work visible. All the houses where he lived built them with his own hands, using adobe, wood and zinc sheets as a roof. Their adobe or mud houses, here we call them Bahareque, were stable and very durable. He did everything with love and passion. I also wanted to recognize the work of the humble people who manufacture their own homes with effort but with great enthusiasm. I lived the experience of building from the ground up. I'm honored to have been one of the enthusiastic urban housing builders. I learned a lot. Thank God I found this extraordinary hive community for my anecdotes and mainly to leave a contribution to the friends who read to us. Thank you for your review. Good morning and blessings for you and your loved ones.
Nice post! Thanks for sharing
¡Excelente post!
Life in the old days was really simple and uncomplicated! I could imagine the happiness and contentment that the rural folks experienced when they built their humble houses out of locally available construction materials. Money was not an issue because Mother Nature provided for everything according to their desired requirements.
Your mother and you are truly blessed to have a father figure in the person of your dear uncle Rafael, as he was your mentor and backbone of your engineering skills that transformed you into who you are today! My respectful salute to him for the marvelous legacy he has left behind! Thank you for sharing this heart-warming personal story @marcosmilano71!
Thanks @storiesoferne. Certainly without many complications but a hard life. My uncle Rafael, he was a hermit, he did not like life in the city, he preferred the countryside or the mountain, rural life was his favorite. He never hired anyone to make his house for him, himself, with his hands, built it using the elements of nature: earth, water, vegetation, wood and sun, all he bought was zinc for the ceiling. Thank you for your comment. Greetings and blessings.
Your uncle seemed like a very nice guy, moreover the zeal to work by those people is commendable. That was such a nice post, keep flourishing.
Warm regards, this personal and remarkable post shows the emotions and skilful techniques.
Keep sharing!