Earth:Tezontle
Tezontle (Spanish: tezontle) is a porous, highly oxidized, volcanic rock used extensively in construction in Mexico. It is usually reddish in color due to iron oxide.[1] Tezontle is a well-cemented, agglomeritic and scoriaceous rock.[2]
Uses
Construction
Tezontle can be mixed with concrete to form lightweight concrete blocks,[3] or mixed with cement to create stucco finishes.[1] Many colonial buildings in Mexico use the reddish cut tezontle on their facades.
Tezontle is a common construction material in the Historic Center of Mexico City as the relatively light-weight stone helps impede a building from sinking into the unstable lake bed on which Mexico City was built.
Other uses
Non-building uses include its inclusion in flower arrangements and botanical gardens, as substrate for aquariums, and for temazcales and ovens.[4]
Tezontle is often used as the top layer of gravel on unpaved roads in Mexico.
Facades
Many buildings use tezontle to create an aesthetic facade. Here are some examples.
- Church of San Bernardo, Mexico City
- House of Count de la Torre de Cossio
- Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
- Nacional Monte de Piedad
- National Palace (Mexico)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Tezontle" (in Spanish). http://www.escuelacima.com/Tezontle.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ↑ Segerstrom, K. (1962) Geology of South-central Hidalgo and Northeastern Mexico, USGS Bulletin 1104-C, page 124.
- ↑ Acevedo-Davila, J.; Torres-Trevino, L.M.; Gomez z, Lauren Y. (September 2007). "Tezontle aggregate substitute optimization in building blocks mixture.". Electronics, Robotics and Automotive Mechanics Conference (CERMA 2007). IEEE. pp. 307–311. doi:10.1109/CERMA.2007.4367704. ISBN 978-0-7695-2974-5.
- ↑ Ramirez, Moni. "Tezontle: Uno de los materiales para la construcción favoritos en la Conquista". https://rubiconmexico.com/blog/tezontle-materiales-para-construccion-conquista/.
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