[Lapg] Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop Huamantla, México November 11-20, 2005
Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson
lakinroe at silcom.com
Thu Aug 4 06:05:19 PDT 2005
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 at hotmail.com
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