Abstract

GUERRERO BACA, Luis Fernando. Identification and assessment of the pre-columbian heritage built with cob. An. Inst. Arte Am. Investig. Estét. Mario J. Buschiazzo [online]. 2018, vol.48, n.1, pp.125-141. ISSN 2362-2024.

The archaeological study of sites built with earth presents remarkable difficulties in regards to the recognition of ancestral building systems. For this reason, some native techniques have been confused with others, or simply ignored. This is the case of the structures made with earth shaped by hand in plastic condition (cob) that are very abundant around the world, but that have received very little attention in comparison with adobe, rammed earth or wattle and daub building. When ruins made with cob are found, it is possible to observe very consolidated and homogeneous monolithic components, with no traces of their original manufacturing process. This article discusses some cases in which the use of this important technique, not recognized and valuated as one of more noteworthy pre-Columbian building systems for Latin America because of the absence of specialized studies, reached a high technological development.

Keywords : building systems; archaeological heritage; conservation; moisture; resistance.

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