SALINAS "In the Midst of a Loneliness": The Architectural History of the Salinas Missions

STABILIZATION OF QUARAI (continued)

Stabilization by the National Park Service

After the Federal government acquired Quarai in December, 1980, it was another eleven months before the National Park Service took over the upkeep of the site in October, 1981. Since cold weather was possible at any time, no stabilization could be attempted in the new units of the National Monument until spring of the next year. The 1982 season was devoted to critically-needed work at Abó, closed entirely because of unsafe conditions until the repairs of highest priority could be carried out. Quarai, in somewhat better condition, had to wait until 1983.

The Stabilization of 1983

The first inspection of Quarai for stabilization planning purposes took place on May 10 and 12 and June 7, 1983. It determined the areas of deterioration and allowed the park staff to set up a schedule for future repair work. [25]

The inspection checked for mortar erosion, basal erosion, voids and wall bulges, and salt deposits. It examined the walls for architectural defects such as cracks, leaning wall faces, veneer separation, and loose capping. The inspection found that Quarai showed signs of serious deterioration. These signs included mortar erosion and salt deposition along the bases of the walls, and mortar erosion and loose or missing capping along the wall tops. These were the same problems that previous inspections had found as far back as the 1930s.

One cause of the basal erosion and salt deposits was the poor drainage in the convento and church. It was obvious that a drainage project was needed at Quarai almost as much as at Abó. However, the construction of a drainage system was considered a lower priority than the critical repairs needed on the walls of Quarai and the drainage project required for Abó. Eventually, when the maintenance of all the sites catches up with the deterioration, a drainage system will probably be installed at Quarai.

During the inspection of 1983, several wall sections were considered to be in danger of collapse or were a safety hazard. The most severe conditions were seen in the patio area of the friary. The square kiva and the walls of the patio and corridor were all badly eroded and sagging. Lesser problems were seen in rooms 15 and 16, the doorway to room 11, and most of the southeast rooms, 44 through 47, 50 and 51, and 58 through 65. In the church, the east wall of the nave was in the poorest condition.

Rooms 33 through 40 of the east courtyard had also lost most of their mortar, but were of lower priority. The entire east courtyard was closed to visitors, except for a path from the east doorway of the friary south to the campo santo and then west across the front of the church to the main trail to the visitor center.

Mound J, with the pueblo rooms excavated in 1959 and the outline of Mound J House excavated sometime between the summer of 1935 and the fall of 1937, probably in mid 1935 to early 1936 by Ele Baker, was also in bad shape. These ruins had been left almost untouched since they were uncovered, and were rapidly crumbling away. [26]

Under the supervision of Adelicio S. (Sam) Chavez, the stabilization began in June and continued for eight weeks. During the two-month period, the maintenance crew stabilized mound J and several of the convento rooms. These included most of the west half of the friary. The square kiva, patio walls, corridor walls, the porteria and sacristy, and rooms 9 and 21 were stabilized, but not capped except for portions of the patio. Rom 11 along the eastern row of friary rooms was stabilized, as was the upper terrace outside the east door of the friary. The two large courtyards in the southeastern area (rooms 43 and 55) were stabilized but not capped. During this year the mortar used for stabilization was a mixture of fourteen parts dirt, one part plaster sand, and two parts calcium aluminate. [27]

The Stabilization of 1984

In 1984, the plaster sand was left out of the mortar mixture. This produced a stronger mortar and a better color match with the original mortar. During this year the stabilization of the convento continued. In the friary, the porteria and room 21, only partially stabilized in 1983, were finished. The residence hall (room 10) and rooms 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19 were capped, but not pointed. In the southeastern rooms, a portion of the west wall of room 47 was repaired and pointed because it was about to collapse. [28]

In the church, the lowest few feet of wall were pointed. Part of the east wall was repaired and capped where runoff down the sloping top of the remaining wall caused a higher rate of mortar wash-out. During the stabilization work inside the church, the altar steps were incorrectly capped, producing a crosswall rather than steps. However, the three steps that had been here were the product of a previously incorrect stabilization by Wes Hurt in 1940. Hurt's work removed the almost totally eroded above-grade traces of the original steps found by Al Ely in front of the apse. Hurt built a new set of steps across the inner edge of the mouth of the apse, about 1 1/2 feet too far north. [29]

The Stabilization of 1985

The 1985 stabilization changed the mortar mix again. This time the mixture was sixteen parts red dirt, two parts "cliche" dirt and one part calcium aluminate for pointing. For capping, an additional part of calcium aluminate was included in the mix. [30]

Archeologist Jim Trott and Sam Chavez inspected the ruins in March, 1985. They determined that the rooms of the eastern and southeastern areas were in the greatest need of stabilization. Work began on April 29 and continued through July 1, when the stabilization crew was removed to Gran Quivira for emergency work. [31]

During the 1985 season, most of the rooms of the southeastern and eastern areas of the convento were stabilized and capped. Rooms 41, 52, 53, 54, 66, and 67, however, were not stabilized. Rooms 41 and 52 through 54 had fallen into such disrepair that they could not be salvaged without archeological work to determine their outlines. Rooms 66 and 67 had entirely disappeared since they were found by Wes Hurt in 1939 and 1940; apparently they had never been repaired since their first stabilization by Hurt.

The Stabilization of 1986

The 1986 stabilization work lasted from May 12 to September 27. During this season the mortar mixture and its color became a major point of discussion. At the beginning of the year, Anthony Crosby of the Denver Service Center, who was responsible for the creation of Preservation guides for the historical buildings of Salinas National Monument, suggested a new combination of components. The mix consisted of six parts dirt, two parts "caliche" clay, two parts plaster sand, and one part portland cement. [32]

Within a few days of beginning, Chavez realized that the mortar was too pale in color when it dried, so that it contrasted strongly with the masonry of the mission walls. He contacted Tony Crosby, who advised the Division of Conservation (PCC) of the Southwest Regional Office in Santa Fe. Doug Hicks of PCC came to inspect the project and evaluate the mortar problem. He was accompanied by Jim Trott, now with PCC. Crosby, Hicks and Trott all agreed that the 6-2-2-1 mortar mix should continue to be used as the pointing material until they had found a better material.

The stabilization crew finished rooms 35 and 36 in the eastern courtyard, and began on the north and west exterior walls of the church, while some crewpersons worked on repairing the severe basal erosion of the friary walls. In the church, the southwest buttress of the west transept was capped and pointed from the top down. Capping used a 6-2-2-2 mortar mix, with two parts portland cement rather than one part for added strength. The rest of the west and north sides of the church were pointed up to nine feet from the ground. The pointing on the church and the filling of the areas of basal erosion in the friary used a 6-2-2-1 mixture.

After some research, Doug Hicks of PCC advised Chavez to experiment with various mixtures of dirt and brown stucco. Chavez found that mortar using five parts dirt and three parts El Rey #116 Adobe Brown Stucco gave the best color match with the original colonial mortar. Terry Morgart of PCC examined the experimental areas pointed by Chavez and his crew, collected samples, and requested that Chavez continue using the 6-2-2-1 and 6-2-2-2 mixtures until a final decision could be made by the Regional Office and Tony Crosby.

When the north and west walls of the church had been pointed up to nine feet, the stabilization crew moved to the convento. They began capping the walls of the friary, using the usual 6-2-2-2 mortar. Included in the capping was room 29 of the eastern courtyard and the baptistry rooms. Before the capping had progressed very far, PCC gave Chavez approval to use his mortar of dirt and El Rey stucco mixed at a 5-3 ratio for the remaining work.

Using the new mortar, the stabilization crew pointed rooms 5-8, 17, 18, and 20 of the friary that had not yet been stabilized by the National Park Service. Rooms 9, 21, and 22 were repointed with the new mixture. Room 4, the sacristy, was partially repointed. During the season, the foundations of the 1829 church were also completely stabilized and capped with the 5-3 mixture.

The Stabilization of 1987

In 1987 the remainder of the interior and exterior of the church was pointed with the 5-3 mixture. The walls and buttresses were capped, the baptistry (rooms 2 and 3) pointed, and rooms 20 through 16, 23, 25 and 27 of the convento repointed. Room 30 was pointed with an experimental mixture of dirt and the stabilizing agent Rhoplex, and the southeastern rooms 42 through 49, 51, and 56 pointed with the dirt and stucco mixture. [33]

The monument and the Regional Office decided to experiment with a number of different mixtures of mortar to determine which had the best characteristics of resistance and color. Rooms 28 and 29 were pointed with various mixtures of dirt, sand, caliche clay, stucco, portland cement, and two new additives, Rhoplex and polyvinyl acetate (PVA). The mixtures were applied in test areas each about two feet across, and left to the mercies of time and the conditions at Salinas National Monument. This and similar tests at other parks should eventually result in an effective stabilizing material for ruins like those at Salinas.