Overview

Come build with with adobe. We'll be completing a horno in a single weekend! This means you will leave the workshop having the knowledge to build your own horno at home. You will also receive a booklet that details all the steps of the building, as well as the materials list and design of 5 different hornos, so you can confidently take it from there.

There are less and less adobe builders in New Mexico. It's on us to share that knowledge with each other so the adobe tradition can endure. We hope you will take what you learn from this workshop and share it within your community.

Hours: 
Saturday November 14th: 10AM - 4PM
Sunday November 15th: 11AM - 4PM

We also offer another workshop on October 10th-11th 2026.

Table of contents:

Saturday, you will learn:

• How to mix mud

• How to lay adobes to create a circular base

• How to fill the base with compacted sand, dirt and lava rocks

• How to finish the base and prepare it for the dome

• How to make a template for your dome opening

• How to start laying adobes for the dome

• How to create a vaulted adobe dome

Sunday, you will learn:

• How to progressively tilt the adobe courses so the adobes become more vertical

• How to close up the dome

• How to plaster the horno

• How to sift, prepare and apply a final plaster coat

• We will also touch on foundation types and provide you with an overview on how to build one with concrete pavers.

• We will demonstrate how to build your own screen so you can sift your own dirt!

Why Choose this workshop?

• Condensed format: In just two sessions we will go over every step to build the horno.

• Hands on: You will be taking part in all steps that deal with adobe.

• No gatekeeping: We will reveal all we know so you can go out there and build you own. This includes materials list, where to get them, and how to get it all finished.

What to bring

• Clothes you don't mind getting muddy.

• Sun protection: sunscreen, sunglasses, hat.

• Water and snacks.

What we provide

• Two days of hands-on instruction with a lunch break on each day.

• Lunch on both days.

• Gloves!

• A booklet summarizing everything we go over, as well as the materials list and designs for 5 horno configurations, so you can home and start working on your horno when you get home.

• We will answer your questions! (where to get materials, how much it costs, etc…)

About your instructor:

Amaury is a professional Adobe Horno Builder based in Santa Fe and originally from Paris, France. Amaury’s interest in Land Art led him to Adobe, from making compositions rearranging elements of the landscape to literally making things out of the earth. He is the founder of Eye of the Horno, an organization dedicated to maintaining the practice of earth building and wood-fired cooking using earthen ovens.

Amaury is a student of Ernest Aragon, a legendary adobe builder in New Mexico and a recipient of the The Earthbuilders’ Honorary Lifetime Member Award. Over the last few years, Amaury has introduced over 150 people to the craft of adobe through his building workshops, partnering with organizations such the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps, The Semilla Project, the Santa Fe Indian School, and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. His Adobe work has been commissioned by private individuals in Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and most recently by Site Santa Fe.

Some of our past workshops: 

-Santa Fe Indian School
-Santa Fe Botanical Garden
-the Semilla Project
-San Joaquín del Río de Chama Land Grant

Questions? Give us a call at 505-216-6385

Refund policy

Due to the very limited number of available tickets, all sales are final. If you are unable to attend, consider your ticket cost a donation to our program.