San Miguel, capital of a province of Cajamarca, Peru, has a church with a characteristic and unique shape. The construction of the church began in 1901 and ended in 1912. In the only tower, old bells are installed; one of them has inscriptions in Latin of the seventeenth century. The tower with 36 meters, is the highest in Cajamarca.
Mud or mud has been used as a main building material in many places and times. The adobe or mud brick structures are durable, as there are some mud buildings up to 10,000 years old. It is important that where these buildings are, there is a shortage of rain and plenty of sun.
Mud bricks or mud bricks are made with any type of soil, do not require a precise mix of clay and sand, and dry in a few days. The quality of the bricks (greater or lesser resistance) depends on the quality of the land; It is advisable to use clay with 30% clay in its composition. The materials are: Water, earth, straw or resistant vegetable fiber and wood molds.
In Anatolia or Asia Minor (Turkey), in the oldest city, Çatalhöyük, 7,000 years before Christ, there were houses built with adobes. In Ancient Egypt the adobe was used, made with Nile silt, to build houses, tombs (mastabas), fortresses and palaces.
In Peru are the largest mud city in America, the citadel of Chan (1200-1480), and the Sacred City of Caral (3000 BC - 1800 BC) the oldest human habitat in Latin America . In Spain, adobe is used in dry regions such as Castilla y León; also in semi-desert regions of Africa, Central America and South America.
The word "adobe", in Spanish, appears for the first time between 1139 and 1149; and comes from the Arabic al-tub (طوب), an uncooked brick, made of a mass of clay (clay and sand), sometimes mixed with straw, molded into brick and dried in the sun.
There are several notable adobe buildings by size or duration, in different parts of the world. The town of Taos (Mexico) has been inhabited continuously for 1,000 years by the Pueblo Indians.
The Djinguereber Mosque (Mali), built in 1325, lasts because there is little rain. The mosque made of mud and straw, maintains its shape and solidity by constant exposure to the sun. The Great Mosque of Djenne (Mali) is the largest mud-built building in the world; and although it is only 100 years old, it impacts by size and color.
Shibam, a city of Yemen with 7,000 inhabitants, has existed since the 2nd century BC. The architecture with multi-storey buildings, made of mud bricks, separated by a labyrinth of narrow alleys, creates the nickname "Manhattan of the desert" or "the oldest city of skyscrapers in the world". There are 500 years old adobe buildings. It is a World Heritage Site (Unesco) since 1982.
The city is the oldest example of urban planning based on the principles of vertical construction, with a well-defined plan. The tallest buildings reach 16 floors and a height of up to 40 meters; the minaret, with 50 meters, is the tallest building. A large restoration program is currently underway, but basic maintenance is constant to protect from rain or erosion.
With this background, what is particular about the church of San Miguel? It is built with adobe; the side walls are reinforced with buttresses. The main nave ends in a main altar; in the front there are three doors with arch. For the material used, for the adobe, it can be expected to last at least a thousand years, as long as there are people who want their people and take care of their heritage.
All the towns near San Miguel have small, adobe churches that are barely different from the neighboring constructions. The builders were enthusiastic masons, experts in house construction, but not in monumental works. Why this pretension of magnificence? The church was designed and built under the direction of an architect, and was designed with that ambition to pay tribute to the patron and protector of the city, San Miguel Arcángel, the celestial character closest to God and therefore, above all Saints. The church destined to honor him could not be inferior to him.
Coincidence or perfect plan? You decide, but those who were born in San Miguel have the pride of having grown up under the shadow of the highest church in Peru, and perhaps the world.
Encanto
pueblos pequeños
