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Pitch

Building tradition of the Mayan House must be preserved due to the important environmental values as well as the sustainability.


Description

Summary

This type of building is unique in Mexico, belonging to the greatest Mesoamerican History of the Continent with more than 3000 years. Some remaining villas still use the traditional materials and methods but unfortunately most of them are in danger of disappearing by the increasing number of concrete blocks and cement given for free in every villa by the government. Abuse of concrete and metal roofs with no insulation at all prevails in the area with the highest temperatures and in the whole country with average high temperatures, making very unsustainable buildings that require a lot of energy to control temperature inside. Even though ancestral buildings like Casa Mayas are naturally insulated and very fresh inside people tendency is to build with cement blocks very hot buildings and suffer the damage of no proper ventilation.

This traditional design in construction provides better indoor temperature improving residents´ distress. The purpose is to give maintenance to the old houses so they are in better condition to achieve the climate change goals such as reduce the use of energy, use of passive solar energy and reuse of rain water. To increse the number of these buildings in rural and residential zones and bring them into urban developments with an hybrid model to promote passivehaus design that is affordable, with proven savings in energy, materials and efficient construction process therefore helping reduce CO2 emissions and resiliency in the communities. Along with reduced costs and reduced pollution the main purpose is to avoid unbearable temperatures during drought months and extreme humidity during rain months improving by far inhabitants comfort and achieve healthy standards.


Is this proposal for a practice or a project?

Practice


What actions do you propose?

ACTIONS

1.- Visit every Mayan State in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala promoting traditional building (restoring old damaged existing buildings).

1.1.-  Approaching the Government Housing Department (INFONAVIT), Universities and Public Schools in Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo, giving a lecture about our project so they can share it with their community.  Public Schools in Belize and Guatemala border towns.

How to: We will achieve this goal through the national network of 266 Campuses of the Mexico National Institute of Technology, TeCNM creating a group ( Comité de Acción : Mayab ) of Mayan Students (Major: Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineers and Architects) in each location who will help monitor the project.

2.- Reach every State in other  Hot Humid Territories such as The Huastec ( Veracruz, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi) and The Wixárika( Nayarit, Durango and Zacatecas ) to promote the Huastec/Huichol  respectively, houses with very similar typology as the Mayan House, some changes in wall materials are seen in the 3 regions and taking in account.

2.1.-  Approaching the Government Housing Department (INFONAVIT), Universities and Public Schools in Veracruz, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Nayarit, Durango y Zacatecas giving a lecture about our project so they can share it with their community.

How to: We will achieve this goal through the national network of 266 Campuses of the Mexico National Institute of Technology, TeCNM creating a group ( Comité de Acción : Huastec & Wiharika ) of Huastec and Wiharika Students (Major: Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineers and Architects) who will help monitor the project.

Promoting and establishing trained groups that practice ancestral building traditions in every state visited will have a direct impact on climate change, promoting new policies in construction and consumer behavior.


Who will take these actions?

Government, Affordable Housing Authorities (INFONAVIT), Public Schools, National Institute of Technology, Students

Leading by a Rural Lab Committee (laboratoriorural) with all the stakeholders ( Government, Universities, Schools )  who will create Local Action Committees ( Mayab Commitees, Wixárika Commitees and Huastec Commitees)  to monitor and communicate in the local language with the owners of the houses that will be renovated and built.

The proposal author is the Director of the RuralLab. She will designate the Rural  Lab Committee and supervise the creation of each Local Committee. Every Committee will work directly with the Urban Lab Committee to achieve general goals.


Where will these actions be taken?

Mayan Houses in bad condition needed a renovation

Mayan Region: Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Belize, Guatemala, in every location of 100 inhabitants or less 1 hour or less from a TeCNM Campus for renovation purposes. To transfer the prototype house,  cities with 60,000 inhabitant or more will be taken in account.

Huastec Region: Veracruz, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, in every location of 100 inhabitants or less 1 hour or less from a TeCNM Campus for renovation purposes. To transfer the prototype house, cities with 60,000 inhabitant or more will be taken in account.

Wixárika Region: Nayarit, Durango, Zacatecas, in every location of 100 inhabitants or less 1 hour or less from a TeCNM Campus for renovation purposes. To transfer the prototype cities with 60,000 inhabitant or more will be taken in account.

 

Pictures Source: 1.- División de cacicazgos o kuchkabales mayas en el Mayab a la llegada de los españoles (s. XVI) según Ralph L. Roys.

2.- Extensión territorial de los wixárika y pueblos vecinos antes de la conquista española:https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichol

3.- Huastec Zonehttp://vinculacion.cultura.gob.mx/imagenes/mapahuasteca.jpg


In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.

Mexico


Country 2

Belize


Country 3

Guatemala


Country 4

No country selected


Country 5

No country selected


Impact/Benefits


What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?

These actions will reduce emissions of the construction industry which are among the highest worldwide ( mitigation)

And reduce the potential harm that climate change may bring ( adaptation)

 

Pending Calculations


What are other key benefits?

The traditional Mayan house is one of the most efficient buildings in space and adaptation to local climatic conditions; gathering of all the materials for this proposal has the lowest carbon footprint, promotes a healthier and bigger economy for the population involved most of it in extreme poverty upgrading the life of all of those who are involved.

Sustainability in all aspects its achieved: Economic, Social, Cultural, Political and Environmental.

This Proposal helps achieving Municipal, State, National and International Sustainability Goals as well as International, National, and State Climate Goals.


Costs/Challenges


What are the proposal’s projected costs?

Pending


Timeline

Pending


About the author(s)

The author is a last year student of a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Civil Engineering with a minor in Construction, Urbanism and Sustainable Development. She resides in Mexico and has been interested in Rural and Urban issues, Regional and City Planning since before starting this new career. She majored in marketing before and spent long time in New York City where her interest in community and urban issues led her to study engineering to pursue her dreams.

Living in the Mayan Region of Yucatán for the past 4 years where she is finishing her studies she developed this research paper about the Mayan House due to the very interesting findings about this typology and the impact of it in all aspects. The paper was selected at the Passivehaus Conference 2017 in Austria and started some practice of Mayan House renovations in the most populated zone of Mayans in the eastern part of Yucatan so she keeps working in this research.


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References