Adobe bricks
In 1608, when the Spanish made Santa Fe the capital of their province of New Mexico and began building the governor’s palace, they used an Indian building material called adobe, sun-dried clay, instead of more typical European materials in traditional European architectural style. Today, adobe buildings can be seen throughout the American Southwest, especially in New Mexico.
Adobe has been used as a building material by people in desert areas for thousands of years, since in those areas there is little rain and freezing weather to melt or crack the hardened mud. The Egyptians and Babylonians used adobe; in America, the Pueblo Indians used it. Adobe houses are also cooler than those made of wood or stone.
To make adobe, sandy clay is mixed with water and small quantities of straw or grass, which holds the materials together. Adobe bricks are made by putting the mixture into wooden forms to harden. The hardened bricks are then baked in the sun for about two weeks.