Mexican Colonial House

Mexican Colonial House. . This authentic 1780 Mexican colonial house once stood near the village of Paricutin, a mountainous region west of Lake Patzcuaro in the state of Michoacan. It was part of a complex of houses occupied by Tarascan Indians from the region. Constructed from 300 pound Mexican pine planks using mortise and tenon joinery, the ornate structure originally was used as a formal sala, or parlor. The building's second story attic space was used for storage. , This type of structure was introduced to Mexico by Spanish settlers in the sixteenth century. The ornate corbels on the front porch are similar in form and decoration to corbels introduced throughout the New World - including New Mexico - by Spaniards for architectural purposes throughout the colonial period. The columns are regional variations of Spanish estipite columns, which feature a shaft that is narrow at the base and capital and wide and decorative in the middle. Other variations of estipite columns can be seen today throughout New Mexico., The house made its way to the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art as a gift from the Denver Art Museum and Mrs. Althea Revere. It was reconstructed here by Santa Fe sculptor Luis Tapia and his son, Sergio, who - without benefit of a floor plan - fitted the massive 300 pound pine planks together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.