This Mud House

The title of this blog post is in honor of fellow Peace Corps Panama Volunteer Bob Villa (1969-71). In our part of Panama, there are primarily two different types of buildings: those made out of cinder blocks (bloque) with corrugated steel roofs and those made out of quincha (literal translation is thatch), which is a combination of mud and straw.  Quincha is the traditional building material in the Azuero though in recent years the majority of new houses have been made out of cinder block or cement.  However, quincha houses are much cooler than the houses made of cinderblock and the buildings can last for several decades. In April, Kate and I, along with several members of our community, visited a nearby village and participated in a quincha junta (work day) with over a hundred other people. Since building with quincha is very labor intensive and the material dries quickly, several workers are needed in a short period of time in order to make the building successful. Here’s roughly how the process works:

The frame of the house is constructed out of wood and bamboo.

This video shows how the mud is mixed with water by foot to get the right consistency.

Straw is added to make the mix stronger and more durable.

The straw is mixed into the mud.

The quincha mixture is cut into manageable pieces by foot.

Pieces of the quincha are placed on the wood frame.

The quincha is smoothed out by hand.

No junta is complete without excessive Seco (Panamanian rum) and gritaring (Panamanian barking).

Repeat until finished.

Click here to see the entire photo album. So that’s the process. We had a really great time. I think I can check “participate in an Amish-like barn raising” off of my bucket list.