Mention the 1960s, and what usually comes to mind is a flood of events from outside New Mexico—Vietnam, the civil rights movement, and women’s lib, not to mention drugs, sex, and rock ’n’ roll. Not that we didn’t have some of all that in New Mexico. Well, maybe even a lot of it. But the Land of Enchantment was pretty much below the radar in those days, which is exactly why so many hippies, both genuine and wannabe, found their way here in search of old ways, cheap land, and freedom. For the most part, these latest arrivals (yep, me too) were received well enough—it took a lot more than long hair and a little smoke to freak people out in these parts!

Hippies took to adobe like groupies to a rock concert. Hey! You mean all we gotta do is mix up some mud and straw and build the walls? And no building permits? Far out! The result was an explosion of exuberant and innovative construction, most of which (amazingly) is still standing. Much of the work was thoughtful and well conceived, and within just a few years the vision had evolved significantly to give birth to passive solar design.

Truth is, a substantial number of the leading builders and craftspeople in New Mexico got their start as long-haired, free-spirited creators of the several communes and countless small adobes that were built in those days. Building just as they pleased, they reveled in a spontaneous and unfettered exploration of the regional earthbuilding traditions. See for yourself: communal projects like New Buffalo and the Lama Foundation, a spiritual retreat center north of Taos, are relatively easy to visit, while other buildings can be found in books like Virginia Gray’s Mud Space & Spirit: Handmade Adobes (Capra Press, 1976) or Scrapbook of