Very rapid housing development and dwindling water resources may soon become San Miguel's next challenge Conscious that water is a scarce commodity in this semi-arid part of the world, when we built our house we included three cisterns to collect rainwater from our roofs. The side-by-side cisterns are located in the back of the house, in the space created by …
Tag: water conservation
The limits of conservation
While still planning the construction of this house, we received a terrific piece of advice from our friend Roger: Make sure one of the bedroom windows faces east, so you can enjoy, while still in bed, the daily spectacle of a sunrise. We've since read that's a pretty standard consideration when siting a house but …
Two weeks away
With the universal warning from friends still resonating in our heads--"be sure to check on the construction every day"--we came back to San Miguel from a two-week trip feeling a bit apprehensive, almost expecting to find some disaster. There were three surprises. During our absence the architect had fired the maestro Bonifacio and his entire …
The Vital Question of Water
One Saturday each month, under the dancing shade of a grove of mesquite trees, Doña Felisa presides over a meeting of La Biznaga's water committee. Felisa is thin, neatly dressed and coiffed, and all-business. She takes meticulous notes of the proceedings which invariably revolve around money or how often and when to turn on the …
El Rancho Santa Clara 