How to talk Santa Fe Style

There is a way to talk Santa Fe Style. Below you will find a list of terms and their definitions that you will find useful when hearing others apply these widely used terms.

Acequia

Man made irrigation ditch.

Adobe

Mud brick that is dried in the sun. The first adobe bricks were used 8,500 years ago in the Middle East.

Alameda

Spanish for ``Cottonwood Tree.'' This word has come to mean a road bordered by cottonwoods.

Anasazi

Ancestral Pueblo Indians; the ``Ancients.''

Arroyo

Dry riverbed that fills occasionally.

Banco

A bench made of adobe and covered with plaster.

Bosque

Low-lying area near rivers, densely forested with cottonwoods and other deciduous trees.

Camino

``Road'' in Spanish.

Canale

A roof spout that carries water off a flat pueblo roof.

Casa

``House'' or ``home'' in Spanish.

Coping

Decorative detail on the top edge of a building and around doors and windows.

Corbel

Short sculpted beam lying on top of a post or wall.

Escarpment Ordinances

New laws in the Santa Fe area prohibiting building on and excavation of mountainsides beyond a certain steepness.

Farolito

``Little Lantern,'' typically a paper bag with a sand ballast and candle, lighted for Christmas festivities. Referred to as a Luminaria outside of Santa Fe.

Flagstone

Flat sheets of red or white stone mined locally, used for flooring in homes and on patios.

Historic Styles Ordinances

Regulations governing the architectural style of all buildings within the Historic District of downtown Santa Fe.

Horno

Freestanding adobe bread oven found at most pueblos and Indian homes.

Kiva

A small ``beehive-shaped'' fireplace.

La Fonda

``The Hotel'' in Spanish.

La Posada

``The Inn'' in Spanish.

Latillas

Small branches used as ceiling planking, made of Aspen, pine or cedar.

Lintel

Wooden beam bridging window or door openings.

Luminaria

Fire built on the sidewalk on Christmas Eve for carolers to gather around. (See also Farolito.)

Nicho

Small shelf carved into a wall.

Paseo

Passage or walkway, or ``to promenade.''

Piñon Tree

High-desert nut-bearing evergreen tree.

Plaza

Public square in the center of town, site of traditional evening paseo or ``promenade.''

Portal

Patio attached to a home, covered with a fixed roof supported by posts.

Puerta

``Door'' in Spanish.

Rumford Fireplace

Tall, shallow fireplace known for great effeciency.

Saltillo Tile

Simple fired earthen tile made in Saltillo, Mexico.

Stucco

Final cement color coat plastered in the exterior of an adobe-style building.

Talavera Tile

Colorful hand-decorated Mexican tile used for counter tops and trim.

Ventana

``Window'' in Spanish.

Vigas

Round logs used as ceiling beams, either shaved or raw.