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is for Preservation. |
Preservation of the 900 year old walls of the Aztec West great house is an ongoing and never-ending process. The two primary methods used to preserve the ancient structures are backfill and stabilization. Backfill involves using sterile soil to either fill a room or create a berm next to a wall to prevent the wall(s) from collapsing. Stabilization involves scraping out the old mortar from in between the courses of stone, then replacing it with new mortar made from clay, sand and a stabilizing agent. There are examples of these technique throughout the site. You will also notice floor drains and other modern pipes used to keep the great house drained and dry. 900-700 years ago, when the Ancestral Pueblo people lived here, they had to conduct regular maintenance on the great house, too. Things like replacing ceiling beams, replastering walls, and tamping new floors over old ones happened regularly.
What kind of things do you do to maintain and preserve your house or place of business?
Source: www.facebook.com/AztecRuinsNM
