The Cardones in the Timber Roof Truss. The Use of Columnar Cactus Wood in the Architectonic Heritage of Puna de Atacama (Susques, Jujuy, Argentina)
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Trichocereus atacamensis is one of the plant species used in the traditional construction throughout the high plateau. Considering that the construction materials, techniques and knowledge are social practices and have symbolic value and implications in the definition of the family groups, this work proposes to study the use of the cardon wood in the roof truss of the housing architecture in the Susques community (Jujuy, Argentina). This work puts together some contributions and analyses from the ethnobotany and the architecture by doing an intensive field work under an ethnographic approach. The work included to do a data gathering of the buildings, interviews to builders, and observation and tours with active participation. The results provide details on the different strategies used for the selection, extraction and processing of raw material and underline the botanical traits that make the cardon an appropriate and outstanding material. In the housing architecture, the study focused mostly in the cactus wood used for the roof, putting emphasis on the structural pieces. As a conclusion, it is observed that beyond the possibility to obtain and use this natural resource as a material, there is a prevailing role of the wood from cardones in the housing construction due to its significance.
arquitectura vernácula, etnobotánica, cactus, madera, techosvernacular architecture, ethnobotany, cactus, wood, roof
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