lost history

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lost history Why did the Peraltas build an adobe wall? Historians’ brainstorm: to have a gathering place for social activities and work so that their homestead would look like a traditional hacienda to protect their livestock, gardens and orchards An earthquake in 1868 destroyed the wall. No drawings or photographs of the original exist, only the stories that people told about it. T oday this wall of raw adobe has been constructed in memory of the vanished wall and the people who lived here. It serves as a backdrop for the community stage, where people today can bring their stories to life. The word “adobe” comes from the Arabic word for “mud bricks,” pronounced a-túb. The Spanish adopted the word “adobe” when the Moors ruled Spain for over 700 years, from 777–1492. TRADITIONAL ADOBE RECIPE: Mix clay soil, dried grass, and sand with water. Press the mixture into wooden frames. Remove from frames and allow to dry. People use adobe all over the world today. A massive adobe wall built in 1840 once enclosed the area around the Peralta homestead. Do you know the story of something that has vanished? California Rancho Scene, 1848, Alfred Sully. Courtesy of the Oaklnand Museum, Kahn Collection. Ocotepec, Hildago, México Illustration from Seventy-five Years in California by William Heath Davis. The adobe wall blends many cultures and histories. Los folletos traducidos al español sobre todos los señalamientos se encuentran en Peralta House. Coù caùc taäp saùch dòch sang tieáng Vieät cho taát caû caùc baûng hieäu taïi Peralta House. Tratado de Ajedrez, Dados y Tablas, c. 1283, El Escorial, Spain. How does this wall compare with the original wall around the Peralta homestead? This wall is only 100 feet long. The original was about 500 feet long, surrounding two-and-a-half acres. This wall is 9 feet tall and 3 feet wide, the same as the original. The bricks are smaller than traditional adobe bricks. Modern workers who made this adobe wall carried smaller and lighter bricks than the Indian workers who made most of the adobe structures on the ranchos and at the missions. This wall has a raw adobe surface. In early California, most adobe walls were plastered, whitewashed, and topped with red tiles. The core of this wall is made of steel rebar and concrete to make it seismically sound. Senufo Village, Ivory Coast. Courtesy of Dick and Beany Wezelman.

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Page 1: Lost History

lost history

Why did the Peraltas build an adobe wall? Historians’ brainstorm:

to have a gathering placefor social activities and work

so that their homestead would look like a traditional hacienda

to protect their livestock, gardens and orchards

An earthquake in 1868 destroyed the wall.

No drawings or photographs of the original

exist, only the stories that people told about it.

Today this wall of raw adobe has been

constructed in memory of the vanished wall

and the people who lived here. It serves as

a backdrop for the community stage, where

people today can bring their stories to life.

The word “adobe” comes

from the Arabic word for

“mud bricks,”

pronounced a-túb.

The Spanish adopted the

word “adobe” when the

Moors ruled Spain for over

700 years, from 777–1492.

TRADITIONAL ADOBE RECIPE:

Mix clay soil, dried grass, and sand

with water. Press the mixture into

wooden frames. Remove from

frames and allow to dry.

People use adobe all over the world today.

A massive adobe wall built in 1840 once enclosed the area around the Peralta homestead.

Do you know the story of something that has vanished?

California Rancho Scene, 1848, Alfred Sully. Courtesy of the Oaklnand Museum, Kahn Collection. Ocotepec, Hildago, MéxicoIllustration from Seventy-five Years in California by William Heath Davis.

The adobe wall blends many cultures and histories.

Los folletos traducidos al español sobre todos los señalamientos se encuentran en Peralta House.

Coù caùc taäp saùch dòch sang tieáng Vieät cho taát caû caùc baûng hieäu taïi Peralta House.

Tratado de Ajedrez, Dados y Tablas, c. 1283, El Escorial, Spain.

How does this wall compare with the original wall around the Peralta homestead?

This wall is only 100 feet

long. The original was about

500 feet long, surrounding

two-and-a-half acres.This wall is 9 feet tall and

3 feet wide, the same as

the original.

The bricks are smaller than

traditional adobe bricks.

Modern workers who made

this adobe wall carried

smaller and lighter bricks

than the Indian workers

who made most of the

adobe structures on

the ranchos and at the

missions.

This wall has a raw adobe

surface. In early California,

most adobe walls were

plastered, whitewashed,

and topped with red tiles.

The core of this wall is made

of steel rebar and concrete

to make it seismically sound.

Senufo Village, Ivory Coast. Courtesy of Dick and Beany Wezelman.