At first I couldn't wait to get down to the coast, and especially start working on the project (and writing posts about it, of course). Now I feel like I'm in the middle of it already, and in some need of explanation of what is going on here, exactly. In other words, time to recycle the article I wrote last year about this place, the people, and the fascinating theater that's slowly putting itself together.
The Wonderful Setting of the Site:
To many travelers who have backpacked through Mexico the name Mazunte may ring a bell. It is located on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca, and despite its village size of around a thousand inhabitants, it is a touristic hot-spot, especially among the more relaxed, alternative, hippie-type travelers. Though Mazunte is pretty easy to find, even on a globe, or a stylized, low resolution map: it is located where the gradually descending west coast suddenly turns northwards again. This point, called Punta Cometa, offers an equally impressive view of the sunrise AND the sunset, and is literally just a few minutes walk from a gorgeous bay and a low-key little town, complete with all sorts of amenities for travelers, especially with health and artistic interests. There are centers for yoga and meditation, many of the cafés offer interesting dishes from the area and from around the world, and the town features an annual jazz festival, and a circus festival. I don’t know which other Mexican town of a similar size could claim to offer all this. So it was not a surprise when I heard that my friends decided to build a theater in this place, of course following Earthship principles.
The People Behind the Project:
The group is called Itínera, and is an international bunch from Colombia, Italy, and France, with deep connections to many other places, including Mexico. Two key figures from this group I’d gotten to know at our academy session in Taos: Stephane from France, a well experienced permaculturist and natural builder, and Valeria from Italy, an architect specialized in natural building, who is officially in charge of designing the theater building. The other two key members, Stephane’s partner Julia from Italy, and Manuel from Colombia I got to know in connection with the build. They are both at home in the world of performing arts, and apart from that they are both amazing people.
Last time I was here it was Valeria, Stephane, Julia and her parents (along with a number of other people helping us off and on) who were here. This time it's Staphane, Julia, and Manuel.
The Building to be Constructed... eventually:
The final building is supposed to be an awesome theater, built as sustainably as possible, according to Earthship principles. Last year Valeria finalized the plans, so there should be nothing in our way of starting the construction... except for some government red-tape. So in the meanwhile, we can focus on other projects.
Two years ago, we started building a multipurpose “garage”. Though its main function is storage, including storing a full-sized US school bus, it is supposed to be much more than that: It should provide sufficient light and ventilation to be comfortably used as a classroom. The temperature inside should always be a bit cooler than outside, with a nice airflow, and it should protect from the elements, mainly the rain, which it is supposed to capture, as it’s expected from any respectable Earthship.
Of course, due to its sub-tropical setting, heating is never an issue as much as cooling, so the typical East-West shape with its slanted, south-facing windows is not the best design for this building. Instead, it is round, tall, and the only window is north-facing, merely for light. The cooling is convection driven, aided by three cooling tubes passing through the tire walls and the thick berm behind it. A vent in the roof will let the heated air escape, drawing cooler air from the tubes. The roof itself is an interesting feature, being fully reciprocal, where the beams all support each other in a circle. Above this, a vapor barrier with layers of gravel, sand, and soil on top is going to provide a living (green) roof with water catchment / filtration capabilities.
Bahía de la Luna:
Since we are still waiting for the biological analysis by some government agency, the only thing we can do on the theater site is build provisional camping facilities, such as an outdoor kitchen and composting toilets. Not that we didn't have our hands full with these things, as camp had to be torn down completely when the site was left last year, so they have to be set up or made operational again.
At the same time Julia wants to make use of the opportunity and start developing her "home property" in Bahía de la Luna, a few towns further down the coast. Once again, before the retaining walls can be started, we need to build a composting toilet and level a little terrace where I can set up my tent.
Soon enough, though there should be regular updates on the progress we're making!