Vernacular Housing Of Northwestern Mexico In Sinaloa: Ways Of Living, Spatial Customs, And Constructive Traditions. The Case Of Culiacan

Abstract

Cultural traditions in Mexico are undergoing a process of accelerated transformation, driven by the constant growth of urban settlements and the migration of rural populations toward metropolitan centers. This phenomenon, largely motivated by the search for better socioeconomic conditions, has led to the progressive abandonment of native communities and, consequently, to profound changes in their ways of life¹. As a result, there is an ongoing—sometimes irreversible—loss of sociocultural practices, constructive technologies, and hybrid knowledge that together constitute both tangible and intangible cultural capital. The study of rural housing in the region provides an opportunity to understand how local communities have met their needs through adaptive strategies suited to the physical and climatic environment. These solutions, inherited from an Indigenous past characterized by seasonal internal migratory patterns, reveal a deep knowledge of the surroundings, expressed in construction systems such as stick-frame walls coated with mud, post-and-beam structures, and palm or thatch roofing, all typical of a highly resilient pre-Hispanic dwelling pattern². In these contexts, despite the region’s high temperatures, dwellings maintained cool interiors thanks to their proximity to rivers, the use of well water, and the climatic adaptation of their materials and spatial arrangements. Upper rooms, with thick adobe walls and sloped clay-tile roofs supported by beams, provided thermal insulation, while portals with vine-covered trellises and leafy trees strategically located on the plot created extensive shaded areas that helped regulate the ambient temperature.