Today I went on a walking tour of a 300 year old neighborhood with a Yahoo meetup group. The dogs got me up too early so I consequently fell back asleep. Once I did wake up, I realized I was running late as I still had to drop off the dogs at daycare. Being late is not a usual thing for me - so being in a panic, I decided to skip breakfast so I could still make it on time.
The neighborhood, one of the oldest in Albuquerque, is called Los Duranes. We met at the Los Duranes community center parking lot. I arrived on time, but without anything to drink (one should always have a bottle of water in ABQ), no backpack, no hat and no sun screen. Oh well! At least I remembered my camera! Once the group was somewhat organized and arrived, we started out on our walk.
To quote from the guide: "Los Duranes was a small farming community founded by the Duran family c. 1750 along the El Camino Real, the royal road from Chihuahua to Santa Fe. Drains and irrigation ditches (acequias) of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District form a network of informal pathways and an oasis in the desert throughout the valley adjacent to the Rio Grande. The early flooding that occurred in this area before the levees were built took away much of the historic architecture. A few of the early farm houses remain, some crumbling, some well preserved. The original community reached south of I-40; the freeway was built almost through its center. In the process, houses were demolished, farm lands torn up and the neighborhood cut in two."
We started our walk down the tree lined avenue of Gabaldon Road. Several of the homes have coyote fences - which are traditionally made of tree branches or small trees tied together upright to make a fence to keep the coyotes from getting through. Today, most people have a chain link or wire fence around the property and add the lattice on the outside for a traditional look. As we stopped to admire one house with a coyote fence, the owner came out and pointed out a huge bees nest in one of trees along the street, as well as a hawks nest.
We stopped also to look at the irrigation ditches behind the houses. Although farming is no longer widely practiced in Albuquerque, the irrigation ditches are still in use. Our leader, Crista, mentioned a few things about the irrigation ditches (acequias). Being a real estate agent, she knew quite a bit and assured us she could probably teach a 4 hour course on the subject. Suffice it to say, that home owners must pay a water right fee to use the water from the irrigation ditches to water lawns, gardens, etc. The ditches most often have dirt paths alongside them (frequently called goat paths) - which make nice hikes as they are tree lined and shady - in addition to providing home for wildlife. We did see a pair of mallard ducks. The homeowners also are responsible for helping to keep the ditches clear of debris; and making sure the gates at their land border are in working order. Apparently, if you do not choose to pay the water fee, you will lose your water rights and the city removes the irrigation gate at your property. This is apparently not a good thing to do if you plan on ever selling the property as it adds to the value of the house/property to have water rights associated with it. Man, this is a fascinating subject. I was ready to hear more. Another complication was the different governing bodies of the water rights - originally held by community boards, and now held by the city. However, we needed to move on with our tour.
Our next stop was one of the older homes of the area - originally part of a larger estate. Made of adobe bricks -the house has been renovated keeping much of the original structure exposed. Crista spoke of the cross beams that remain exposed at the roof of most adobe structures. These beams are laid to support the roof structure itself. Newer homes are made with a faux adobe (stucco) exterior and often just pieces of log beams are attached to the exterior to give a traditional look.
Another type of adobe construction is using terrones (sod blocks), cut from the marshes/bogs along the river, these blocks were used wet as the foundation and walls of the house. Larger blocks were used for the foundation. And due to the fact that they were wet when placed, the house would continue to settle for dozens of years after. You can tell a house built using terrones by the fact that the base of the house is wider (bulging out) while the upper portion narrows. They were usually built in a linear style (a single row of rooms) running east-west. This was to take advantage of the sun warmth on the south side of the house in the winter. One of the structures we passed by was built with terrones - a historical landmark built around 1890. The Capilla De San Jose was once the village church and still has a wooden steeple on the tin roof.
We also stopped by the Albuquerque Water Gardens - a water plant nursery located among the homes. It is only open in the summer - selling water features, water plants, a few herbs, and fresh eggs as well. One of the neatest things was an example of using a former in-ground pool as a landscape feature instead of being filled in completely, the walls were tiled, stairs put in and varying levels of terracing used to showcase plants.
Los Duranes seemed to currently be a mix of new and old construction. Newer houses, faux stucco walls and also older, run down houses. I really enjoyed the bright, sunny walk - although it did get quite warm. Having skipped breakfast, and forgotten my water, I started feeling pretty dehyrated about an hour and a half into the walk. So when we stopped for a break about 3/4 of the way through, I opted to head out. I'll leave you here with a few more examples of architecture and some of the spring foliage.
The neighborhood, one of the oldest in Albuquerque, is called Los Duranes. We met at the Los Duranes community center parking lot. I arrived on time, but without anything to drink (one should always have a bottle of water in ABQ), no backpack, no hat and no sun screen. Oh well! At least I remembered my camera! Once the group was somewhat organized and arrived, we started out on our walk.
To quote from the guide: "Los Duranes was a small farming community founded by the Duran family c. 1750 along the El Camino Real, the royal road from Chihuahua to Santa Fe. Drains and irrigation ditches (acequias) of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District form a network of informal pathways and an oasis in the desert throughout the valley adjacent to the Rio Grande. The early flooding that occurred in this area before the levees were built took away much of the historic architecture. A few of the early farm houses remain, some crumbling, some well preserved. The original community reached south of I-40; the freeway was built almost through its center. In the process, houses were demolished, farm lands torn up and the neighborhood cut in two."
We started our walk down the tree lined avenue of Gabaldon Road. Several of the homes have coyote fences - which are traditionally made of tree branches or small trees tied together upright to make a fence to keep the coyotes from getting through. Today, most people have a chain link or wire fence around the property and add the lattice on the outside for a traditional look. As we stopped to admire one house with a coyote fence, the owner came out and pointed out a huge bees nest in one of trees along the street, as well as a hawks nest.
Los Duranes seemed to currently be a mix of new and old construction. Newer houses, faux stucco walls and also older, run down houses. I really enjoyed the bright, sunny walk - although it did get quite warm. Having skipped breakfast, and forgotten my water, I started feeling pretty dehyrated about an hour and a half into the walk. So when we stopped for a break about 3/4 of the way through, I opted to head out. I'll leave you here with a few more examples of architecture and some of the spring foliage.
