Overview and quality assessment of volcanic tuffs in the Mexican building heritage

Abstract

Many cultural heritage sites in Mexico have been built with volcanic tuff rocks from the earliest Central American civilizations to the time of the Spanish conquest and up to the present. Throughout this long period of time, the stones have been subjected to progressive weathering as evidenced by different types of damage phenomenon such as scaling, sanding, crumbling, sugaring and salt efflorescence. This study utilizes a collection of 53 tuffs from different regions in Mexico that show a diverse range of colors, rock compositions and mineralogy, and heterogeneous rock fabrics indicative of their volcanic origin. Comprehensive investigations have been done that include detailed petrographic analyses, cathodoluminescence, clay mineral analyses, and the determination of a wide range of petrophysical properties (e.g., porosity, capillary water uptake, water absorption, sorption, hydric and thermal expansion, and mechanical properties). All analyzed data combined are used for derivation of some general trends concerning the suitability/durability of tuffs applied as natural building stones.

Use of Audiovisual Methods and Documentary Film for the Preservation and Reappraisal of the Vernacular Architectural Heritage of the State of Michoacan, Mexico

“…Regarding the sands utilized mainly for the production of mortars, these are andesites, with less than 52% SiO2. Stone masonry has historically been reserved to the most important monuments [25], normally associated with religious use due to their massive presence and durability (see Figure 4); nevertheless, we can find these materials in almost every type of structure, with their main use being foundations for the constructions, avoiding the water penetration through capillarity. Wood has a wide presence in almost all the regions of Michoacan, as it has been used traditionally for the roofing systems of both the vernacular architecture and monumental In that exact order, first we find the natural soils, commonly referred to as earth or tierra in Spanish, being one the oldest construction materials in the continent, with an important tradition of the adobe technique [19].…”

“…Regarding the sands utilized mainly for the production of mortars, these are andesites, with less than 52% SiO2. Stone masonry has historically been reserved to the most important monuments [25], normally associated with religious use due to their massive presence and durability (see Figure 4); nevertheless, we can find these materials in almost every type of structure, with their main use being foundations for the constructions, avoiding the water penetration through capillarity. Wood has a wide presence in almost all the regions of Michoacan, as it has been used traditionally for the roofing systems of both the vernacular architecture and monumental Wood has a wide presence in almost all the regions of Michoacan, as it has been used traditionally for the roofing systems of both the vernacular architecture and monumental buildings.…”

Geochemical and Experimental Investigations of some Egyptian Volcanic Tuffaceous Rocks as Natural Supplementary Cementitious Materials

“…Abundant tuff deposits are formed due to their explosive volcanic nature. This has resulted in a significant variety in the materials, colors, sizes, and forms of their clasts [12]. Volcanic rocks are highly popular as a natural material for construction purposes.…”

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“…Las rocas volcánicas afloran ampliamente en México particularmente en la Sierra Madre Occidental (SMOcc) a lo largo de una superficie aproximada de 300 000 km2 (McDowell y Clabaugh, 1979). Para dar un contexto, numerosos edificios y monumentos históricos de varios estados del centro de México están construidos con rocas volcánicas procedentes de las inmediaciones de la SMOcc, de la Mesa Central y del Cinturón Volcánico Transmexicano (Siegesmund et al 2022).…”