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My Favorite Photos of Adobe Homes in Ecuador

One of the things I love most about travel photography is capturing textures.
I find the adobe houses in Ecuador captivating because of their textures and earth tones.

adobe-house-in-Ecuador-South-America
While I had read about homes made out of adobe bricks while we were researching Ecuador, I didn’t really think about what they would be like.

Video Slideshow of Adobe Homes in Ecuador

A Few of My Favorite Adobe Home Photos 

Adobe-house-in-the-mountains-near-Cuenca-Ecuador

Adobe bricks are a mixture of clay, sand and straw. The adobe houses we have seen seem to have varying amounts of that mixture.

Sometimes I see straw and small rocks in the bricks, other times they look much smoother. That mixture makes for some really great textures. 

Different Types Of Adobe Homes

Many of the adobe homes we see have been plastered over and painted, and others are left raw. I especially like the look of the adobes that have not been plastered because you can really see the texture of the bricks.

The adobe homes that have been painted also look nice and have interesting textures.

Adobe-house-plastered-and-painted-Ecuador
Some adobes are plastered and left unpainted. They are plastered with the same mix that makes up the bricks.

Sometimes only part of the house has been plastered over, so you can see the texture of the plaster and the rougher bricks.

I especially like seeing adobe homes in the countryside on a sunny day. The contrast of the adobe bricks and the green grass with wildflowers/garden flowers is beautiful.

adobe-house-in-the-Andes-Mountains-Ecuador
A friend of ours told us that her parents had recently built an adobe home and how happy they were with it because of the quality of the construction.

She said that adobe bricks are more durable than concrete ones.

We’ve also heard that adobe homes stay cool when it’s hot outside and warm when it’s cool outside. We recently visited some friends in their adobe home and we noticed how cozy it felt, it was a chilly day.

adobe-house-in-Ecuador-South-America

Keep reading: Travelers Guide: Things to Do in Ecuador

What type of homes have you seen on your travels? Please tell us about them by commenting on this post.

jon wolaver

Sunday 20th of June 2021

my #1 comment is a question: What about covid Delta (India)? from what i understand, delta is rapidly becoming the scourge of unvaccinated people. It's more infectious and much more virulent. I'd hate to go to Ecuador and spend my time keeping away from people (even though i am fully vaccinated). What do you think about the new covid variant? 2nd comment: Adobe, I was recently in Mexico and was told that the adobe structures were more resilient than cement structures in an earthquake; they swayed rather than shattered. 3rd comment: street crime. I have a horror of being robbed and brutalized in the street by thugs. I'm older, and getting beat up may very well be crippling for me. What do you think?

Jeff

Saturday 19th of April 2014

Nice photos and info on the adobe houses. The article caught my eye because I'm just getting ready to move into a very cool old adobe home here in Cuenca. I have photos if you're interested, or if you prefer, you're welcome to come take your own pics once I take possession on the 1st of May. JS

Bryan Haines

Monday 21st of April 2014

Very nice. Feel free to send them over and we'll take a look. Bryan

CAROLYN

Wednesday 9th of April 2014

I have read that there have been at least 30 earthquakes in ECUADOR in thr past year. What problems does that cause you in Cuenca, and other parts of the country. It certainly doesn't sound safe!!

jon wolaver

Sunday 20th of June 2021

Ecuador is on the Ring of Fire; the Andes mountains are a geological/volcanic feature. Earthquakes are commonplace in ecuador as is volcanism. At least earthquakes are not humans intentionally harming you in order to steal your money.

Stewart

Friday 18th of April 2014

Dear Carolyn, I have read also that in California / Nevada area there have been more than 100 earthquakes in the past 7 days! Granted most or all of these are less than a 3.0 magnitude, and depending how far away they are you cannot even feel them, but it's nothing new. My grandfathers lived in adobe houses in Quito and Ibarra many years ago. The walls were typically 2 feet thick and 1 story high with wood and clay tile roofs. Because of the mass and low profile there is very little damage when earthquakes do strike. Eventually, like everthing buildings like these deteriorate. Both I think reached over 100 years old before they were torn down. Of the earthquakes in Ecuador you mentioned most were also low in magnitude. One was over 5.0 with aftershocks, but like I mention above it's not new. Building codes now require new buildings to be reinforced to international standards to resist earthquake and other forces. Older buildings such as adobe homes must have also been built (more through trial and error) with designs to resist these forces. If you think California is safe for earthquakes, don't fear them in Ecuador. You can avoid the older buildings just as a precaution. Best regards.

Bryan Haines

Thursday 10th of April 2014

These minor quakes cause no damage and present no risk at all.

Jerry Bauer

Saturday 5th of April 2014

Every time I see the country side in Equador the soil looks like mostly rocks?

Bryan Haines

Sunday 6th of April 2014

There is a lot of dark black soil in the Andes. And there are a lot of rocks.