Building with Mud in Oaxaca, MX
Building with Mud in Oaxaca, Mexico
Join Benito Steen for a hands-on, 5-day workshop exploring the techniques of earthen building. Set at the stunning Villa Agroecológica Tierra del Sol—a regenerative agriculture center in the heart of Oaxaca’s Central Valleys, 40 minutes from Oaxaca City—this course offers a unique opportunity to learn traditional building methods in a vibrant, inspiring environment.
We will be covering a range of different techniques for earthen wall building including:
- Adobe and straw-clay bricks
- Cob
- Wattle-and-daub walls
- Simple clay basecoats
- Various smoothed clay finishes
- Demonstration: Earthen floors
An essential part of this workshop will focus on processing and refining raw materials—giving you a clear understanding of how to test, adjust, and work with different mixes. This is a hands-on course, so come ready to get muddy, work with your hands, and connect with the earth.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced builder, you’ll gain both foundational skills and advanced techniques. From sourcing and testing soil to mixing and applying it, you’ll leave this workshop with the knowledge and confidence to build and finish earthen walls—and even begin experimenting with natural floors.
LOCATION:
This immersive workshop takes place at Villa Agroecológica Tierra del Sol, a 4-hectare regenerative farm and education center in Tlacochahuaya.
- Cost: $800 USD for the full 5-day workshop (tuition cost only)
- Meals: Are not included in the workshop fee. Meals are available during the workshop for $40 per dayt.
- Accommodations: A variety of private and shared lodging options are available at Tierra Del Sol. Read more on the accommodation options here.
- Deposit: A $400 deposit is required to reserve your spot.
Workshop Syllabus
- Harvest and process bamboo. for a waddle install wattle.
- Make a mix for daub
- Apply daub to the waddle
- Foundation for the Cob project
- Mix Cob
- Apply Cobb
- Make adobes
- Mixe plaster base coat
- Field trip in the afternoon?
- Continue mixing plaster
- Applying base coat
- Make floor samples
- Finish plasters
- Finish floor
Instructor
Benito Steen is a builder and artist, who strives to find the connection between space and beauty, shelter and nature, the hand and materials.
Born and raised in southeastern Arizona where his parents teach natural building, Benito comes from a long lineage of artists and makers and grew up surrounded by people from around the world coming in with new skills and crafts every day. Homeschooled, he gravitated early on as teenager towards the trades and arts such as: plastering, blacksmithing and woodworking.
He has taught natural building throughout Latin American and Southeast Asia and his home in Canelo, AZ. Always learning and experimenting he mixes old techniques with the new, to create beautifully sustainable and healthy houses.
