Last December, I headed for Mexico with my family in order to build a cob house for a family of seven, and to teach a cob workshop to about 25 people, five of whom were local Mexicans. We lived and worked for two months in the town of Zipolite, a rustic travelers’ paradise on the southern Pacific beach of Mexico. Although there were plenty of tourists, there was an absence of corporate influence: No big hotels, no lawns, no pools, no banks and an all cash society (no credit cards). The town and the beach were wonderful, the water was clean and warm, the restaurants all served locally caught fish, the tropical fruit was cheap and plentiful, and the whole town felt safe and laid back. Without kidding, it was hard to find reasons why we shouldn’t move there. (That is still the case right now!)
The cob house we built was for Pedro, Christina and their five children, ages 2-15. Pedro worked six days a week as a landscaper at a local university, making about $10 per day, while Christina mostly took care of the children. They lived in a shack with virtually no land surrounding it. Although they were not poor, they would never be able to save enough money or have enough time to build themselves a new home. However, a long time ago Christina’s father had staked out about an acre of land in town, that, with the help from the Mexican community land laws, had become theirs. The land had a spectacular view of the mountains and some usable, not-too-steep land for growing vegetables and fruit trees.
The result of the workshop crowned the land with a beautiful 300 square foot, all cob cabin, complete with a palm leaf roof, a sleeping loft, water tank and a separate composting toilet (called “dry toilets” in Mexico). The entire cost for the project was paid for through the fees of the workshop participants. (See pictures in our