NATIVE BAMBOOS IN RURAL HOUSING CONSTRUCTION: BAJAREQUE IN PRE-HISPANIC AND 20TH CENTURY MEXICO

Abstract

Background: Bajareque is a construction technique that utilizes a woven structure made of bamboo, reeds, rods, and wickers, combined with various compounds of local soil, plant material, and water (mud). In Mexico, there is archaeological and contemporary evidence of the use of bajareque in housing construction. At the Los Guachimontones archaeological site, the use of bajareque has been documented with an age ranging from 2, 400 to 1, 500 years. However, the species of bamboo used remains unknown. Questions and/or Hypotheses: 1) Which bamboo species from Mexico have been used in the construction of housing using the bajareque technique? 2) Which bamboo species is likely to have been used in the construction of housing using the bajareque technique at the Los Guachimontones archaeological site in Jalisco? Results: Our results indicate the use of five bamboo species (Guadua amplexifolia, G. paniculata, G. velutina, Otatea acuminata, and O. fimbriata) in bajareque construction. It is probable that the species used in the construction of housing and civic-ceremonial structures at the Los Guachimontones archaeological site is Otatea acuminata. Conclusions: In this study, we demonstrate that five bamboo species have been used in bajareque construction in Mexico. Of these five species, three belong to the Guadua genus and two to the Otatea genus. It is highly likely that Otatea acuminata was used in the construction of housing at the Los Guachimontones site using the bajareque technique.