lost history
Why did the Peraltas build an adobe wall? Historians’ brainstorm:
to have a gathering placefor social activities and work
so that their homestead would look like a traditional hacienda
to protect their livestock, gardens and orchards
An earthquake in 1868 destroyed the wall.
No drawings or photographs of the original
exist, only the stories that people told about it.
Today this wall of raw adobe has been
constructed in memory of the vanished wall
and the people who lived here. It serves as
a backdrop for the community stage, where
people today can bring their stories to life.
The word “adobe” comes
from the Arabic word for
“mud bricks,”
pronounced a-túb.
The Spanish adopted the
word “adobe” when the
Moors ruled Spain for over
700 years, from 777–1492.
TRADITIONAL ADOBE RECIPE:
Mix clay soil, dried grass, and sand
with water. Press the mixture into
wooden frames. Remove from
frames and allow to dry.
People use adobe all over the world today.
A massive adobe wall built in 1840 once enclosed the area around the Peralta homestead.
Do you know the story of something that has vanished?
California Rancho Scene, 1848, Alfred Sully. Courtesy of the Oaklnand Museum, Kahn Collection. Ocotepec, Hildago, MéxicoIllustration from Seventy-five Years in California by William Heath Davis.
The adobe wall blends many cultures and histories.
Los folletos traducidos al español sobre todos los señalamientos se encuentran en Peralta House.
Coù caùc taäp saùch dòch sang tieáng Vieät cho taát caû caùc baûng hieäu taïi Peralta House.
Tratado de Ajedrez, Dados y Tablas, c. 1283, El Escorial, Spain.
How does this wall compare with the original wall around the Peralta homestead?
This wall is only 100 feet
long. The original was about
500 feet long, surrounding
two-and-a-half acres.This wall is 9 feet tall and
3 feet wide, the same as
the original.
The bricks are smaller than
traditional adobe bricks.
Modern workers who made
this adobe wall carried
smaller and lighter bricks
than the Indian workers
who made most of the
adobe structures on
the ranchos and at the
missions.
This wall has a raw adobe
surface. In early California,
most adobe walls were
plastered, whitewashed,
and topped with red tiles.
The core of this wall is made
of steel rebar and concrete
to make it seismically sound.
Senufo Village, Ivory Coast. Courtesy of Dick and Beany Wezelman.