Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop
Hacienda Santa Barbara Chapultapec, Huamantla, México
Join a small, select group of permaculturists for ten days in central
highlands Mexico for an advanced design workshop creating a permaculture
plan for renovation of a 16th century
hacienda to become a small, rustic eco-inn. The pre-requisite for
this workshop is completion of a Permaculture Design Certification
Course. Participants will get invaluable experience working on a
medium to large-scale, real-time, real-site project designing
permaculture systems to support the inn and a small school for the
village and surrounding area to be included in the complex.
The area: Tlaxcala State and the area around
Huamantla are historically the lands of the Tlaxcalteca people, who still
make up the majority of population. It is and always has been
agricultural area and, as such, is one of the economically poorest areas
of México. However, it is one of the richest in culture and history
and remains among the least visited by tourists. The volcanic soil
is perfect for crops and many of the old ways of growing food, building
materials and medicine are preserved in small isolated pockets industry
and the North haven’t completely compromised. Beautiful villages,
towns, stone and adobe churches, colonnaded plazas, enclosed courtyard
gardens and pre-conquest ruinsincluding the largest and best-preserved
murals in the country at Cacaxtlaare some of the incredible features of
the area, but the people are the most outstanding natural resource.
The site: Located near the small village of Chapultapec (Nahuatl
for place of the grasshoppers) in Tlaxcala State about halfway between
Mexico City and Vera Cruz, Santa Barbara is a late
16th century stone and adobe
hacienda. It comprises several acres of buildings, including a
beautiful chapel with incredible acoustics, four in tact warehouses and
granaries, complete and largely original rainwater catchment system with
cistern, beautiful entrance court with orchard, dining room and
wood-fired kitchen. Much of the buildings and walls are in ruins,
some in the process of restoration using indigenous and other natural
building techniques using local materials.
The project: The Zamora Family is
restoring and renovating Santa Barbara. Javier Zamora and his
fiancee Mariana will live at Santa Barbara beginning in 2006 and Mariana,
a teacher, is establishing an elementary school on site (there is
currently no school for the locals and children must be bused quite a
distance to attend the nearest one). To begin, eight or nine rooms,
suites and “casitas”, plus kitchen and bathroom facilities are being
restored to be used as an inn. Composting toilets, grey water
system and rainwater are being incorporated to minimize negative
ecological impact. Overall permaculture designs for infrastructure,
gardens, the water systems and school will be developed during the
November workshop. The Zamoras are experienced real estate
developers and as a result of Javier attending a natural building course
at Rancho El Pardo in nearby Tlaxco several years ago, they have decided
to return to the beauty, simplicity and environmental responsibility of
sustainable design for their projects. They manage the renovated
Hotel Hacienda Soltepec, where the group will stay during the workshop.
Scott Horton is a designer/partner in the Santa Barbara renovation
project and responsible for all permaculture design and subsequent
installation.
I hope you will be able to join usthe group will be limited to 15 invited
permies maximum. This will be ten days of good, hard design work
experience in a terrific cultural and geographic setting with time set
aside for field trips, some of the best regional food and an
unprecedented chance to help design an historic restoration.
Call or write me with questions and check out the general itinerary
below.
Best wishes,
Scott Horton
Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop
Hacienda Santa Barbara Chapultapec, Huamantla, México
November 11-20, 2005
Itinerary as of June 20, 2005
Day 1
3-7 p.m.
Arrivals, settle in to
Hacienda Soltepec
7 p.m.
Welcome
supper, introductions
8 p.m.
Workshop
and schedule overview, tour of Hacienda Soltepec with owner Javier
- Zamora
Day 2
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.
Tour
of Hacienda Santa Barbara with Javier, Don Beto, Mariana and Scott, brief
- history of Tlaxcala state, the Tlaxcaltecas, hacienda culture
- Introduction of design projects and group assignments
Noon
Tea
and snacks
12:30
Break
into groups and meet at sites
2 p.m.
dinner
3 p.m.
Client
interview Javier, Mariana, Don Beto, etc.
6:30 p.m. Board
shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.
supper
Day 3
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.
Needs
and resources assessment, site analysis
Noon
Tea
and snacks
12:30
Measure
and Map
2 p.m.
dinner
3 p.m.
Measure
and Map
6:30 p.m. Board
shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.
supper
Day 4
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.
Measure
and Map
Noon
Tea
and snacks
12:30
Measure
and Map
2 p.m.
dinner
3 p.m.
Design
concept brainstorming/visioning
6:30 p.m. Board
shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.
supper
Day 5 Field Trip Day
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle
Morning tour to Hacienda Tenejac, visit to pulqueria
2 p.m.
dinner
in Tlaxcala
3 p.m.
Afternoon
in Tlaxcala cultural museum, city hall murals, shopping, etc.
6:30 p.m. Board
shuttle back to Soltepec
7 p.m.
supper
Day 6
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.
needs/resources
assessment check-in, inter-group meetings to identify project
- and design crossover/redundancy, etc.
Noon
Tea
and snacks
12:30
Turning
concept/rough designs into semi-final designs incl, zonation/placing
- elements in context
2 p.m.
dinner
3 p.m.
Semi-final
design sketches
7 p.m.
supper
at Santa Barbara
8 p.m.
full-moon
temascal (sweat lodge) at Santa Barbara
9:30
board
shuttle back to Soltepec
Day 7 Field Trip Day
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Tlaxco
- Morning at Tlaxco market
- Dinner in Tlaxco
- Afternoon tour of Proyecto San Isidro and Rancho El Pardo with
Alejandra
- Caballero
- Visit to Proyecto San Isidro’s amazing elementary school and possible
service
- work at the school with the students
6:30 p.m. Board
shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.
supper
Day 8
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.
Finish
semi-final designs and prepare to present
Noon
Tea
and snacks
12:30
Present
semi-finals to clients
2 p.m.
dinner
3 p.m.
Incorporate
client input and revisit needs/resources assessments
6:30 p.m. Board
shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.
supper
Day 9
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.
Finish
final designs
Noon
Tea
and snacks
12:30
Finish
final designs
2 p.m.
dinner
3 p.m.
Finish
final designs
6:30 p.m. Board
shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.
supper
8 p.m.
Design
presentation dry runs
Day 10
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:45 a.m. Board
shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.
Final
design presentations on site
Noon
Tea
and snacks
12:30
workshop
wrap-up
1:30
shuttle
to Soltepec
2 p.m.
farewell
dinner
Note: this itinerary may change, but the general activities, nature and
scope of the design project remain the same.
We will be staying at Hacienda Soltepec, a beautifully restored
18th century hacienda in Huamantla,
Tlaxcala State. Soltepec is the home and small hotel of the Zamora
family, and Javier studied natural building at Rancho El Pardo in the
same course with Scott Horton, the organizer of this trip and a designing
partner in the renovation of Hacienda Santa Barbara to become a rustic
eco-inn. Each day, the design group will shuttle to Hacienda Santa
Barbara, about a 20 minute drive from Soltepec. For photos and
information about Hacienda Soltepec, visit
www.haciendasoltepec.com
While in Huamantla, we will observe local customs
surrounding meals: a good sized breakfast, mid-day coffee, tea and
snacksusually fresh local fruitand dinner at 2 p.m., the largest meal of
the day. Supper in the evening will be a light meal. The
cooks at Hacienda Soltepec are among the best in Mexico and specialize in
regional foods and seasonal ingredients. We will be extremely well
fed and Javier and his family are warm, thoughtful and excellent
hosts.
Spanish is of course useful, but Javier, Scott and others will be on hand
always to translate.
Hacienda Soltepec has a pool, gym and sauna as well as a stable and
Javier has graciously invited us to ride the horses when we have time as
his guests. Javier will also coordinate two field trip days guiding
us to haciendas, markets, plazas and other highlights, many not seen by
most visitors to the area.
The cost for the 10-day workshop is $900 and includes double occupancy
room, three meals a day, full use of Hacienda Soltepec’s facilities,
transportation to and from Hacienda Santa Barbara, and all fields
trips. Some alcoholic beverages will be included but you may have
to pay for drinks if you are inclined to imbibe. Not included are
air and ground transportation to and from Hacienda Soltepec and
gratuities for service people.
For more information, contact Scott Horton at (951) 659-5362 or
LaSemillaBesada@hotmail.com