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7. The main reason that Spanish & Mexican immigrants used adobe is that the material was easy to find locally and inexpensive. Adobe is made from certain kinds of soil that is shaped into regular pieces and then dried in the sun. The material also works best in places that do not have a great deal of rain.
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8. Adobe: Hispanic Architecture These beams, also called vigas, help to support the flat roof.
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9. Adobe: Hispanic Architecture The curve of the arch is a very good method to carry the wall above from one support to the next. The arch can be constructed with many smaller pieces rather than one long flat piece. The arch is more commonly used with materials such as adobe, stone, brick, etc.
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10. Doorway: Hispanic Architecture There were few interior doors in some of the early Hispanic houses that we photographed. The reason could be because large trees were not commonly available. Most doors are made of wood, particularly of wide boards. If there were not many large trees near, it might be difficult to find materials to build the doors.
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11.
Adobe House With Tile Roof: Hispanic Architecture The roof tiles are, like adobe, made from certain types of soils. The material would be easy to find and inexpensive. The roof tiles are not dried in the sun but heated to high temperatures by fire. This makes the tile very hard and fireproof. When the tile is used on the roof it can last for a long time and helps protect the building from fire.
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12. Beehive Oven: Hispanic Architecture There are a number of reasons why the ovens might be built outside. I believe that the main reason would be the concern for fire. If the cooking was done outside, there would be fewer chances for a fire to burn down the entire house. In warm climates or during hot weather it would be more comfortable to have something hot like a cooking fire outside rather than inside the house. Smells and smoke might also be other reasons for cooking food outside .
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