Viga (architecture)

Last updated November 02, 2024

Vigas are wooden beams used in the traditional adobe architecture of the American Southwest, especially in New Mexico. In this type of construction, the vigas are the main structural members carrying the weight of the roof to the load-bearing exterior walls. The exposed beam-ends projecting from the outside of the wall are a defining characteristic of Pueblo architecture and of Spanish Colonial architecture in New Mexico, often replicated in modern Pueblo Revival architecture. Usually the vigas are simply peeled logs with a minimum of woodworking. In traditional buildings, the vigas support latillas^[1] (laths) which are placed crosswise and upon which the adobe roof is laid, often with intermediate layers of brush or soil.^[2] The latillas may be hewn boards, or - in more rustic buildings - simply peeled branches.^[3] These building techniques date back to the Ancestral Puebloan peoples of 750 to 1300 CE, and vigas (or holes left where the vigas have deteriorated) are visible in many of their surviving buildings.

Since the popularization of the modern Pueblo Revival style in the 1920s and 1930s, vigas are typically used for ornamental rather than structural purposes. Noted Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem (1894-1983) incorporated ornamental vigas into many of his designs. Contemporary construction in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is controlled by stringent building-codes, typically incorporates ornamental vigas, although the 2012 revision of the residential building-code gives credit for structural vigas.^[4] Older structures that have been reconstructed (e.g. the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe) may contain both structural and ornamental vigas.

Etymology

The word viga is Spanish for "beam", "rafter" or "girder".^[5]

Composition

Vigas are typically about 6 to 10 inches (15.24 to 25.4 cm) in diameter and average 15 feet (4.6 m) long.^[6] Pinyon (Pinus edulis) and Ponderosa Pine were the most common wood species used for vigas during the 17th century. Engelmann spruce is preferred because of "wood character and lack of cracking," but Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is more commonly used.^[7] Because the availability of vigas longer than 15 feet is limited by the size of the trees cut for the purpose, traditional viga-constructed rooms are typically less than 15 feet (4.6 m) wide.^[8] A layer of smaller branches or saplings known as latillas or latias (laths) is laid over the top of the vigas, and then a slightly sloped layer of adobe is added on top of the latillas for insulation and drainage.

Although vigas were sometimes salvaged from old buildings to erect new ones, such as in Walpi, this practice depended on the condition of the site and the material salvaged. The use of traditional rounded vigas changed with the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s, which brought dimensioned lumber, and immigrants who used different construction methods, from the east coast.^[9]

Materials

Cutting trees for vigas was usually done in winter because of the good temperatures. "Dead and down" trees were the preferred source for vigas in the adjacent forests. Traditional vigas were usually cut to length with metal axes. Latillas were also collected, along with other construction materials at the same time. To make transportation easier, wood preparation usually was done before shipment. Large labor crews were involved, and vigas were transported from the mountains by teams of oxen.^[10] Some construction historians have mentioned the use of latillas under the vigas for carrying poles.^[11]

Wood cutting was an important aspect of material production. If cutting was done shorter than needed, the builders had to wait until one year later to get the same material, thus representing a problem. These issues led to some structural and designing decisions in constructions, such as the building of second walls inside the proposed building so shorter materials could be used.

Large diameter vigas were cut first so that they can dry or cure for a longer period.^[11] As lighter elements for transportation, latillas or latias were cut last from various wood types. These were then sorted and laid out in different patterns from the vigas and painted in a different colors.^[12] The 1846 American immigration brought notions of New England architecture. New technologies substituted the use of vigas for machine-sawn beams, among other construction techniques that followed to the 20th century. This practice did not interfere with the use of vigas for mostly decorative purposes in the Pueblo Revival Style architecture between the 1920s and 1930s.

Structural assembly

Traditional vigas were mostly used for structural purposes in buildings. Vigas were often spaced 3 feet (0.91 m) apart, although irregular or unequal spaced was characteristic of Spanish colonial architecture. Buildings using viga roof construction vary from large institutional buildings to small ones. The amount of vigas used for a room vary, but six was the standard. Some rooms in Acoma are roofed with five to nine vigas.^[9] Also, other structural practices were added to later buildings, such as placing horizontal bond beams to transfer structural loads to the adobe roof.

The extension of vigas some feet outside of the wall is a standard practice. This was used for the creation of portales or covered porches. An umbral or lintel was added for support of the viga along with vertical posts in these spaces.^[12] The porch's roof treatment was the same as in the interior room, but the space provided was used for different purposes.

Vigas were usually installed with the smaller ends to one side of the roof to facilitate good drainage.^[12] Vigas usually sat directly on the adobe or stone walls and were strapped. Decorative corbels were used in the portales and in the interiors.

New technologies, especially in Pueblo Revival Architecture, were integrated. The practice of anchoring vigas with rebar through pre-drilled holes at opposing angles and the designing of parapets for anchoring, was ideal for vigas in low flat roofs. This was used to prevent roof uplift.^[13]

The vaulted viga roof is another type of structural system using vigas, using parapets on the two side and eaves on the ends. The roof is left exposed on the interior and latillas are placed parallel with others in a diagonal pattern.^[14]

Examples

Pueblo Bonito, constructed by Ancestral Puebloan people between 850 and 1150 CE
Spruce Tree House, Mesa Verde National Park
Viga holes in cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument
Mesa Vista Hall (1950), University of New Mexico, a modern building with vigas used as ornamentation
The Art Annex (1926) at UNM, a more abstract Pueblo style building, evokes vigas using stylized ornamentation

Notes

↑ Latilla definition and meaning
↑ Mountain Zamora, Luis (2015). "Taos Pueblo Preservation Program". APT Bulletin. 46 (4): 40. JSTOR 43659962.
↑ Groben, W. Ellis (1941). Adobe Architecture: Its Design and Construction (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
↑ City of Santa Fe (2012-01-11). "Draft Revisions to the Santa Fe Residential Green Building Code" . Retrieved 2012-07-02.
↑ "viga" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
↑ DICKEY, ROLAND F. (Winter 1948). "EARTH IS LIFTED: Domestic Architecture in New Mexico". Southwest Review. 33 (1): 32. JSTOR 43463318.
↑ Windes, Thomas C. (March 2010). "Dendrochronology and Structural Wood Use at Pueblo Del Arroyo, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico". Journal of Field Archaeology. 35 (1): 88. JSTOR 24406839.
↑ Gleye, Paul (Autumn 1994). "SANTA FE WITHOUT ADOBE: LESSONS FOR THE IDENTITY OF PLACE". Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. 11 (3): 182. JSTOR 43029123.
1 2 Robinson, William J. (1990). "Tree-Ring Studies of the Pueblo de Acoma". Historical Archaeology. 24 (3): 101. JSTOR 25615797.
↑ Gale (1996). Encyclopedia of the American West. U.S. History In Context.
1 2 Windes, Thomas C. (March 2010). "Dendrochronology and Structural Wood Use at Pueblo del Arroyo, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico". Journal of Field Archaeology. 35 (1): 91. JSTOR 24406839.
1 2 3 Riley Bartholomew, Philip (1983). THE HACIENDA: ITS EVOLVEMENT AND ARCHITECTURE IN COLONIAL NEW MEXICO 1598-1821. Missouri: University of Missouri - Columbia. p. 292.
↑ Kaki, Hunter (2004). Earthbag building : the tools, tricks and techniques. New Society Publishers, NSP. p. 115. ISBN 978-0865715073. OCLC 475066177.
↑ Kaki, Hunter (2004). Earthbag building : the tools, tricks and techniques. New Society Publishers, NSP. p. 117. ISBN 978-0865715073. OCLC 475066177.

Related Research Articles

Adobe is a building material made from earth and organic materials. Adobe is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of earthen construction, or various architectural styles like Pueblo Revival or Territorial Revival. Most adobe buildings are similar in appearance to cob and rammed earth buildings. Adobe is among the earliest building materials, and is used throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puebloans</span> Native Americans in the Southwestern US

The Puebloans, or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited Pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the most commonly known. Pueblo people speak languages from four different language families, and each Pueblo is further divided culturally by kinship systems and agricultural practices, although all cultivate varieties of corn (maize).

Pueblo refers to the settlements and to the Native American tribes of the Pueblo peoples in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlements in the United States, are called pueblos (lowercased).

Earthbag construction is an inexpensive building method using mostly local soil to create structures which are both strong and can be quickly built.

Acoma Pueblo is a Native American pueblo approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States.

The De Vargas Street House, often referred to as the Oldest House, is a historic building in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is often said to be one of the oldest buildings in United States. The original date of construction is unknown but the majority of the building is believed to date to the Spanish colonial period (post-1610). One archaeological study also concluded that some sections of the walls are characteristic of Pueblo architecture and may be pre-Spanish in origin. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1968 as a contributing property in the Barrio De Analco Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gaw Meem</span> American architect

John Gaw Meem IV was an American architect based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is best known for his instrumental role in the development and popularization of the Pueblo Revival Style and as a proponent of architectural Regionalism in the face of international modernism. Meem is regarded as one of the most important and influential architects to have worked in New Mexico.

The Pueblo Revival style or Santa Fe style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States, which draws its inspiration from Santa Fe de Nuevo México's traditional Pueblo architecture, the Spanish missions, and Territorial Style. The style developed at the beginning of the 20th century and reached its greatest popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, though it is still commonly used for new buildings. Pueblo style architecture is most prevalent in the state of New Mexico; it is often blended with Territorial Revival architecture.

Salmon Ruins is an ancient Chacoan and Pueblo site located in the northwest corner of New Mexico, USA. Salmon was constructed by migrants from Chaco Canyon around 1090 CE, with 275 to 300 original rooms spread across three stories, an elevated tower kiva in its central portion, and a great kiva in its plaza. Subsequent use by local Middle San Juan people resulted in extensive modifications to the original building, with the reuse of hundreds of rooms, division of many of the original large, Chacoan rooms into smaller rooms, and emplacement of more than 20 small kivas into pueblo rooms and plaza areas. The site was occupied by ancient Ancestral Puebloans until the 1280s, when much of the site was destroyed by fire and abandoned. The pueblo is situated on the north bank of the San Juan River, just to the west of the modern town of Bloomfield, New Mexico, and about 45 miles (72 km) north of Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon. The site was built on the first alluvial terrace above the San Juan River floodplain.

Chetro Ketl is an Ancestral Puebloan great house and archeological site located in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, United States. Construction on Chetro Ketl began c. 990 and was largely complete by 1075, with significant remodeling occurring in the early and mid-1110s. Following the onset of a severe drought, most Chacoans emigrated from the canyon by 1140; by 1250 Chetro Ketl's last inhabitants had vacated the structure.

The New Mexico Museum of Art is an art museum in Santa Fe governed by the state of New Mexico, United States. It is one of four state-run museums in Santa Fe that are part of the Museum of New Mexico. It is located one block off the historic Santa Fe Plaza. It was given its current name in 2007, having previously been referred to as The Museum of Fine Arts.

San Estévan del Rey Mission Church is a Spanish mission church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup on the Acoma Pueblo Reservation in western New Mexico. Built between 1629 and 1641, it is one of the finest extant examples of hybrid Spanish Colonial and Puebloan architectural styles. It was named for Saint Stephen I of Hungary. The church was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It remains a mission church and is part of the parish of San José de la Laguna in Laguna, New Mexico.

San Francisco de Asís Mission Church is a historic and architecturally significant building on the main plaza of Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Originally the center of a small Mexican and Indian 18th Century agricultural community. Built between 1772 and 1816 replacing an earlier church in that location. New Mexico was then part of the Vice-Royalty of New Spain. It is a fine example of a New Mexico Spanish Colonial Church, and is a popular subject for artists. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. It is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

Territorial Revival architecture describes the style of architecture developed in the U.S. state of New Mexico in the 1930s. It derived from New Mexico vernacular Territorial Style, an original style from Santa Fe de Nuevo México following the founding of Albuquerque in 1706. Territorial Revival incorporated elements of traditional regional building techniques with higher style elements. The style was intended to recall the Territorial Style and was extensively employed for New Mexico state government buildings in Santa Fe.

Territorial Style was an architectural style of building developed and used in Santa Fe de Nuevo México, popularized after the founding of Albuquerque in 1706. Reintroduced during the New Mexico Territory from the time of the Mexican and American territorial phases in 1821 until 1912, at which time New Mexico stopped being a territory and became a US state. Following the increase of its popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, it became referred to as the Territorial Revival style, which became another popular building style alongside New Mexico's Pueblo Revival style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancestral Puebloan dwellings</span> Ancestral Puebloan homes

Hundreds of Ancestral Puebloan dwellings are found across the American Southwest. With almost all constructed well before 1492 CE, these Puebloan towns and villages are located throughout the geography of the Southwest.

Pueblo architecture refers to the traditional architecture of the Pueblo people in what is now the Southwestern United States, especially New Mexico. Many of the same building techniques were later adapted by the Hispanos of New Mexico into the Territorial Style. Pueblo and Hispano architecture was also the basis for the Pueblo Revival architecture and Territorial Revival architecture, 20th-century Southwestern regional styles that remain popular.

Scholes Hall is the historic administration building of the University of New Mexico, located on the main campus in Albuquerque. It was the first of many buildings designed for the university by Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem, who helped to cement the Pueblo Revival style as the "official" architecture of the campus. Built in 1934–36 with Public Works Administration funding, it is regarded as one of Meem's most notable designs.

Cristo Rey Church is a Roman Catholic parish church on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is one of the most notable buildings designed by influential Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem and is claimed by some sources to be the largest adobe building in the United States. It is also notable for its historic altar screen, the Reredos of Our Lady of Light, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The reredos was carved in 1761 and originally hung in La Castrense, a military chapel on the Santa Fe Plaza. It has been described as "one of the most extraordinary pieces of ecclesiastical art in the country". The church was dedicated in 1940.

The Gutiérrez Hubbell House, also known as the James Lawrence and Juliana Gutierrez y Chavez Hubbell House, is a historic territorial-style hacienda. The original house dates back to the 1820s, and was enlarged in the 1850s and 1860s. It is located in the village of Pajarito in the South Valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The house has existed under three national flags: Spain, Mexico and the United States.

References

Bunting, Bainbridge (1983). John Gaw Meem: Southwestern Architect. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0-8263-0251-3
Cameron, Catherine M. Architectural change at a Southwestern Pueblo. PhD. Diss., University of Arizona, 1991.
Dickey, Roland F., and Faris, Tom. "Earth Is Lifted: Domestic Architecture in New Mexico." Southwest Review 33, no. 1 (Winter 1948): 31-37.
Frederick Gritzner, Charles. Spanish Log Construction in New Mexico. PhD. Diss., Louisiana State University, 1969, 63.
Gleye, Paul. "Santa Fe without Adobe: Lessons for the Identity of Place." Journal of Architectural and Planning Research 11, no. 3 (Autumn 1994): 181-96.
Harris, Cyril M. Dictionary of Architecture & Construction. 4th ed, 1045-1046. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
Hunter, Kaki, and Donald Kiffmeyer. "Roof Systems." In Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques, 115-18. Gabriola Island: New Society, 2004.
Knox Wetherington, Ronald. Early Occupations in the Taos District in the Context of Northern Rio Grande Culture History. PhD. Diss., University of Michigan, 1964.
McAlester, Virginia, Suzanne Patton. Matty, and Steve Clicque. A Field Guide to American Houses: The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding Americas Domestic Architecture, 542-545. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.
Mountain Zamora, Luis; Kay Judy, Mary (2015). "Taos Pueblo Preservation Program". APT Bulletin. 46 (4): 38–45.
Phillips, Charles, and Alan Axelrod, eds. "Architecture: Adobe Architecture." In Encyclopedia of the American West. USA, 1996.
Riley Bartholomew, Philip. The Hacienda: Its Evolvement and Architecture in Colonial New Mexico 1598-1821. PhD. Diss., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1983.
Robinson, William J (1990). "Tree-Ring Studies of the Pueblo De Acoma". Historical Archaeology. 24 (3): 99–106. doi:10.1007/bf03374140.
Whalen, Michael A.; MacWilliams, A.C.; Pitezel, Todd. "Reconsidering The Size and Structure of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico". American Antiquity. 75 (3): 527–50. doi:10.7183/0002-7316.75.3.527.
Windes, Thomas C. "Dendrochronology and Structural Wood Use at Pueblo Del Arroyo, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico". Journal of Field Archaeology. 35 (1): 78–98. doi:10.1179/009346910x12707320296757.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Latilla definition and meaning

[2] Mountain Zamora, Luis (2015). "Taos Pueblo Preservation Program". APT Bulletin. 46 (4): 40. JSTOR 43659962.

[3] Groben, W. Ellis (1941). Adobe Architecture: Its Design and Construction (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved March 29, 2018.

[SFCode-4] City of Santa Fe (2012-01-11). "Draft Revisions to the Santa Fe Residential Green Building Code" . Retrieved 2012-07-02.

[5] "viga" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)

[6] DICKEY, ROLAND F. (Winter 1948). "EARTH IS LIFTED: Domestic Architecture in New Mexico". Southwest Review. 33 (1): 32. JSTOR 43463318.

[7] Windes, Thomas C. (March 2010). "Dendrochronology and Structural Wood Use at Pueblo Del Arroyo, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico". Journal of Field Archaeology. 35 (1): 88. JSTOR 24406839.

[8] Gleye, Paul (Autumn 1994). "SANTA FE WITHOUT ADOBE: LESSONS FOR THE IDENTITY OF PLACE". Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. 11 (3): 182. JSTOR 43029123.

[:0-9] 1 2 Robinson, William J. (1990). "Tree-Ring Studies of the Pueblo de Acoma". Historical Archaeology. 24 (3): 101. JSTOR 25615797.

[10] Gale (1996). Encyclopedia of the American West. U.S. History In Context.

[:1-11] 1 2 Windes, Thomas C. (March 2010). "Dendrochronology and Structural Wood Use at Pueblo del Arroyo, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico". Journal of Field Archaeology. 35 (1): 91. JSTOR 24406839.

[:2-12] 1 2 3 Riley Bartholomew, Philip (1983). THE HACIENDA: ITS EVOLVEMENT AND ARCHITECTURE IN COLONIAL NEW MEXICO 1598-1821. Missouri: University of Missouri - Columbia. p. 292.

[13] Kaki, Hunter (2004). Earthbag building : the tools, tricks and techniques. New Society Publishers, NSP. p. 115. ISBN 978-0865715073. OCLC 475066177.

[14] Kaki, Hunter (2004). Earthbag building : the tools, tricks and techniques. New Society Publishers, NSP. p. 117. ISBN 978-0865715073. OCLC 475066177.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]