Rammed Earth_San Rafael de Mucuchíes_Venezuela

This image in Venezuelan Vernacular Architecture book is accompanied by the following caption:

"The pisoneros in the mud and manners have disappeared from the Andes. This is a photo taken in the fifties in San Rafael de Mucuchíes (State of Mérida) "

The Mérida State is in the region of Andes Venezuelans. The region is characterized by a climate considerably warmer than the rest of the country, reaching the arctic climate in snowy areas.

The state capital, the city of Merida, was founded in 1558 as part of New Granada at an altitude of 1600 m.

The photograph is a frozen moment in the construction of a rammed earth wall. The technique consists on a wood-mobile formwork scaffold on which are uploaded the  the "zurroneros" and "pisoneros".