[Sdpg] Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop Huamantla, México November 11-20, 2005

Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson lakinroe at silcom.com
Thu Aug 4 06:05:19 PDT 2005


Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop
Hacienda Santa Barbara Chapultapec, Huamantla, México

Join a small, select group of permaculturists for ten days in central 
highlands Mexico for an advanced design workshop creating a permaculture 
plan for renovation of a 16th century hacienda to become a small, rustic 
eco-inn.  The pre-requisite for this workshop is completion of a 
Permaculture Design Certification Course.  Participants will get invaluable 
experience working on a medium to large-scale, real-time, real-site project 
designing permaculture systems to support the inn and a small school for 
the village and surrounding area to be included in the complex.

The area: Tlaxcala State and the area around Huamantla are historically the 
lands of the Tlaxcalteca people, who still make up the majority of 
population.  It is and always has been agricultural area and, as such, is 
one of the economically poorest areas of México.  However, it is one of the 
richest in culture and history and remains among the least visited by 
tourists.  The volcanic soil is perfect for crops and many of the old ways 
of growing food, building materials and medicine are preserved in small 
isolated pockets industry and the North haven’t completely 
compromised.  Beautiful villages, towns, stone and adobe churches, 
colonnaded plazas, enclosed courtyard gardens and pre-conquest 
ruinsincluding the largest and best-preserved murals in the country at 
Cacaxtlaare some of the incredible features of the area, but the people are 
the most outstanding natural resource.

The site: Located near the small village of Chapultapec (Nahuatl for place 
of the grasshoppers) in Tlaxcala State about halfway between Mexico City 
and Vera Cruz, Santa Barbara is a late 16th century stone and adobe 
hacienda.  It comprises several acres of buildings, including a beautiful 
chapel with incredible acoustics, four in tact warehouses and granaries, 
complete and largely original rainwater catchment system with cistern, 
beautiful entrance court with orchard, dining room and wood-fired 
kitchen.  Much of the buildings and walls are in ruins, some in the process 
of restoration using indigenous and other natural building techniques using 
local materials.

The project:  The Zamora Family is restoring and renovating Santa 
Barbara.  Javier Zamora and his fiancee Mariana will live at Santa Barbara 
beginning in 2006 and Mariana, a teacher, is establishing an elementary 
school on site (there is currently no school for the locals and children 
must be bused quite a distance to attend the nearest one). To begin, eight 
or nine rooms, suites and “casitas”, plus kitchen and bathroom facilities 
are being restored to be used as an inn.  Composting toilets, grey water 
system and rainwater are being incorporated to minimize negative ecological 
impact.  Overall permaculture designs for infrastructure, gardens, the 
water systems and school will be developed during the November 
workshop.  The Zamoras are experienced real estate developers and as a 
result of Javier attending a natural building course at Rancho El Pardo in 
nearby Tlaxco several years ago, they have decided to return to the beauty, 
simplicity and environmental responsibility of sustainable design for their 
projects.  They manage the renovated Hotel Hacienda Soltepec, where the 
group will stay during the workshop. Scott Horton is a designer/partner in 
the Santa Barbara renovation project and responsible for all permaculture 
design and subsequent installation.

I hope you will be able to join usthe group will be limited to 15 invited 
permies maximum. This will be ten days of good, hard design work experience 
in a terrific cultural and geographic setting with time set aside for field 
trips, some of the best regional food and an unprecedented chance to help 
design an historic restoration.

Call or write me with questions and check out the general itinerary below.

Best wishes,

Scott Horton


Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop
Hacienda Santa Barbara Chapultapec, Huamantla, México

November 11-20, 2005

Itinerary as of June 20, 2005

Day 1

3-7 p.m.        Arrivals, settle in to Hacienda Soltepec
7 p.m.                  Welcome supper, introductions
8 p.m.          Workshop and schedule overview, tour of Hacienda Soltepec 
with owner Javier
Zamora

Day 2

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.                  Tour of Hacienda Santa Barbara with Javier, Don 
Beto, Mariana and Scott, brief
history of Tlaxcala state, the Tlaxcaltecas, hacienda culture

Introduction of design projects and group assignments

Noon            Tea and snacks
12:30           Break into groups and meet at sites
2 p.m.          dinner
3 p.m.                  Client interview Javier, Mariana, Don Beto, etc.
6:30 p.m.       Board shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.          supper

Day 3

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.                  Needs and resources assessment, site analysis
Noon            Tea and snacks
12:30           Measure and Map
2 p.m.          dinner
3 p.m.                  Measure and Map
6:30 p.m.       Board shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.          supper

Day 4

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.                  Measure and Map
Noon            Tea and snacks
12:30           Measure and Map
2 p.m.          dinner
3 p.m.                  Design concept brainstorming/visioning
6:30 p.m.       Board shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.          supper

Day 5  Field Trip Day

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle

Morning tour to Hacienda Tenejac, visit to pulqueria

2 p.m.          dinner in Tlaxcala
3 p.m.                  Afternoon in Tlaxcala  cultural museum, city hall 
murals, shopping, etc.
6:30 p.m.       Board shuttle back to Soltepec
7 p.m.          supper

Day 6

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.                  needs/resources assessment check-in, inter-group 
meetings to identify project
and design crossover/redundancy, etc.
Noon            Tea and snacks
12:30           Turning concept/rough designs into semi-final designs incl, 
zonation/placing
elements in context
2 p.m.          dinner
3 p.m.                  Semi-final design sketches
7 p.m.          supper at Santa Barbara
8 p.m.          full-moon temascal (sweat lodge) at Santa Barbara
9:30            board shuttle back to Soltepec

Day 7  Field Trip Day

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Tlaxco
Morning at Tlaxco market
Dinner in Tlaxco
Afternoon tour of Proyecto San Isidro and Rancho El Pardo with Alejandra
Caballero
Visit to Proyecto San Isidro’s amazing elementary school and possible service
work at the school with the students
6:30 p.m.       Board shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.          supper

Day 8

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.                  Finish semi-final designs and prepare to present
Noon            Tea and snacks
12:30           Present semi-finals to clients
2 p.m.          dinner
3 p.m.                  Incorporate client input and revisit 
needs/resources assessments
6:30 p.m.       Board shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.          supper

Day 9

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.                  Finish final designs
Noon            Tea and snacks
12:30           Finish final designs
2 p.m.          dinner
3 p.m.                  Finish final designs
6:30 p.m.       Board shuttle to Soltepec
7 p.m.          supper
8 p.m.                  Design presentation dry runs

Day 10

7:30 a.m.       Breakfast
8:45 a.m.       Board shuttle to Hacienda Santa Barbara
9 a.m.                  Final design presentations on site
Noon            Tea and snacks
12:30           workshop wrap-up
1:30            shuttle to Soltepec
2 p.m.          farewell dinner

Note: this itinerary may change, but the general activities, nature and 
scope of the design project remain the same.

We will be staying at Hacienda Soltepec, a beautifully restored 18th 
century hacienda in Huamantla, Tlaxcala State.  Soltepec is the home and 
small hotel of the Zamora family, and Javier studied natural building at 
Rancho El Pardo in the same course with Scott Horton, the organizer of this 
trip and a designing partner in the renovation of Hacienda Santa Barbara to 
become a rustic eco-inn.  Each day, the design group will shuttle to 
Hacienda Santa Barbara, about a 20 minute drive from Soltepec.  For photos 
and information about Hacienda Soltepec, visit www.haciendasoltepec.com

While in Huamantla, we will observe local customs surrounding meals: a good 
sized breakfast, mid-day coffee, tea and snacksusually fresh local fruitand 
dinner at 2 p.m., the largest meal of the day.  Supper in the evening will 
be a light meal.  The cooks at Hacienda Soltepec are among the best in 
Mexico and specialize in regional foods and seasonal ingredients.  We will 
be extremely well fed and Javier and his family are warm, thoughtful and 
excellent hosts.

Spanish is of course useful, but Javier, Scott and others will be on hand 
always to translate.

Hacienda Soltepec has a pool, gym and sauna as well as a stable and Javier 
has graciously invited us to ride the horses when we have time as his 
guests.  Javier will also coordinate two field trip days guiding us to 
haciendas, markets, plazas and other highlights, many not seen by most 
visitors to the area.

The cost for the 10-day workshop is $900 and includes double occupancy 
room, three meals a day, full use of Hacienda Soltepec’s facilities, 
transportation to and from Hacienda Santa Barbara, and all fields 
trips.  Some alcoholic beverages will be included but you may have to pay 
for drinks if you are inclined to imbibe.  Not included are air and ground 
transportation to and from Hacienda Soltepec and gratuities for service people.

For more information, contact Scott Horton at (951) 659-5362 or 
LaSemillaBesada at hotmail.com




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