adobe

(noun)

An unburnt brick dried in the sun; a house made of unburnt brick dried in the sun.

Related Terms

Examples of adobe in the following topics:

  • Moche

    • Their adobe buildings have been mostly destroyed by looters and natural forces over the last 1300 years, but the huacas that remain show that the coloring of their murals was very vibrant.

  • The Southwest

    • Southwest architecture includes cliff dwellings (multi-story settlements carved from living rock), pit houses, and adobe and sandstone pueblos.

  • The Moche

    • The Huaca del Sol, a pyramidal adobe structure on the Rio Moche, was the largest pre-Columbian structure in Peru.
    • Originally the largest pre-Columbian adobe structure in the Americas, this pyramid was constructed using around 130 million bricks.

  • Architecture of the Inca

    • However, despite this fame, most Inca buildings were actually made out of fieldstones or semi-worked stone blocks and dirt set in mortar; adobe walls were also quite common, usually laid over stone foundations.
    • The material used in Inca buildings depended on the region; for instance, in the coast they used large rectangular adobe blocks, while in the Andes they used local stones.

  • Art of Ancient Africa

    • Architectural ruins in locations such as Mali and Zimbabwe demonstrate the popularity of load-bearing architecture in such diverse materials as adobe and stone.

  • Domestic Architecture in Modern Africa

    • North Africa primarily used stone and rammed earth; West Africa tends toward mud and adobe; central Africa uses thatch, wood, and more perishable materials; southern Africa uses stone, thatch, and wood; and in East Africa the materials have varied.

  • Architecture of Djenne

    • The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick or adobe building in the world and is considered by many architects to be the greatest achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, with definite Islamic influences.

  • Southwestern Culture

    • Elaborate adobe and sandstone buildings were constructed, and highly ornamental and artistic pottery was created.

  • Art and Architecture of the Southwest Cultures

    • The Anasazi culture is perhaps best known for the stone and adobe dwellings built along cliff walls, particularly during the Pueblo II (900-1150 CE) and Pueblo III (1150-1350 CE) eras.

  • Ceramics in Early South America

    • Their adobe buildings have been mostly destroyed by looters and natural forces over the last 1300 years, but the huacas that remain show that the coloring of their murals was very vibrant.