Keywords
Agricultural infrastructure
Vernacular transformation
Hybrid construction
Mesilla Valley
How to Cite
Abstract
This research explores the emergence of hybrid adobe barn types in the Mesilla Valley of southern New Mexico between the 1880s and 1930s with the aim of understanding how changes in agricultural practices and material availability reshaped vernacular storage architecture. Our study documents five historic adobe barns in La Mesilla and La Mesa, employing typological analysis and comparative architectural reading to identify recurring spatial and construction patterns. It traces a typological transition from compact, subsistence-oriented adobe storage buildings toward larger-span, hybrid forms incorporating milled-timber trusses and metal roofing. It concludes that these adobe barn hybrids constitute distinct, under-recognized architectural types situated between inherited earthen building cultures and industrial-era construction, offering insight into landscape transformation and rural modernization in the Mesilla Valley.
References
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