An initiative that is advancing in the Legislative Assembly aims to declare adobe and bahareque houses as a national symbol and; furthermore, it urges the Ministry of Public Education to include this type of structures in the corresponding study programs.
The initiative indicates that the Ministry of Culture and Youth will promote the development of teaching plans and different initiatives aimed at strengthening the conservation of the structures of this type of housing.
In addition, the proposal indicates that the Costa Rican Tourism Institute will promote campaigns aimed at national and international visitors, which encourage tourism and trade in activities related to the adobe and bahareque house.
The file with number 23,481 presented to the legislative stream on November 24, 2022 and published in Gazette No. 7 of January 17, 2023 as an initiative of Deputy Luis Fernando Mendoza.
Dignify this cultural heritage
“The goal is to dignify this cultural heritage that is so representative of a country of peace, freedom and democracy like Costa Rica. The adobe and bahareque houses are a heritage that takes us back to the past, these houses have been the quintessential model of the 19th century colonial landscape in our territory,” Mendoza highlighted.
The legislator added in the case of Guanacaste, the cantons of Cañas, Santa Cruz, Liberia, Bagaces and Cañas can still see constructions of this type that have been preserved by the owners or by the State.
“Some examples are the Colonial Church of San Blas in Nicoya and the Hermitage of NuestraSeñora de la Agonía in Liberia, which are two emblematic buildings in the province; Furthermore, they are part of the Historical Heritage of Costa Rica, also in the province of Heredia, in Barva and in Santa Domingo, as well as in San José, in Desamparados and in Escazú and in different parts, these buildings exist, therefore, we intend for this project to become Law,” Mendoza said.
Historical legacy
Bahareque, bajareque, bareque or fajina is the name for a system of building houses from interwoven sticks or reeds and covered mud. This technique has been used since ancient times for the construction of housing in indigenous peoples of America. An example is the bohío, a home widely used by Amerindians, mainly in Panama, Venezuela, Colombia and other South American nations.
“These houses have been the modeler par excellence of the colonial landscape and of the 19th century in our territory, they have been considered the architectural structures that gave rise to the urban conformation of the first settlements and the initial habitat of our ancestors, which reveals an architecture adopted and adapted to the conditions of our climate, our idiosyncrasies and our customs,” indicates the bill.
Ancient method
Adobe house constructions use a building method that uses moist, compressed earth to build structures capable of lasting many years if properly developed. The system is so old that the first works date back to 8,300 BC.
The project has already been ruled positively in the Social Affairs Commission of the Legislative Assembly. To advance to the Plenary Session, it must be convened in the extraordinary session period by the Executive Branch.
