TRADITIONAL STYLES IN HOUSES 69
THE AMERICAN INDIAN CONTRIBUTION

In Arizona and New Mexico the Spanish colonists built houses
inspired by the homes of the Pueblo Indians, of which an excellent
example is the Taos Indian pueblo in New Mexico. The Indian
houses are made of adobe and have flat roofs and parapet walls.
The roofs are supported on heavy poles over which peeled saplings
laid close together form unique, characterful ceilings and support
the layers of the roof, the top one of which is turf. The poles and
wooden spouts for rain water sometimes extend out from the roof.
Pole ladders on the exterior take the place of stairs.

The Indian-Spanish type of architecture is appropriate in New
Mexico and Arizona, where it is indigenous. This tradition is fol-
lowed in the buildings of the University of New Mexico in Albu-
querque, and in dwellings and other structures in Santa Fe and
many other places. Small adobe houses are easy to build and are
remarkably cool in summer and warm in winter. See page 75 for
illustrations of the original houses and also a modern adaptation.

THE ITALIAN CONTRIBUTION

Architecture is greatly indebted to the Romans for practical
building methods as well as for beauty. Domestic architecture
owes much to Palladio, a famous architect of the Renaissance pe-
riod. His buildings and designs were the inspiration for the work
of the English architect Inigo Jones, who developed the Georgian
house, which in turn inspired the Colonial house of America. To-
day's familiar portico with columns, the doorway which consists
of a large central arched section flanked by small rectangular open-
ings on either side, and the four-sided pitch roof are true adapta-
tions of Palladio's design.

The typical Palladian Florentine villa was Classical and formal,
standing on a marble balustraded platform overlooking an equally
formal garden, which contained fountains and sculpture. These
villas have been the models for some large, dignified houses in the
United States* The simple Italian house or low, rambling farm
dwelling has been the inspiration for some delightful informal
houses here. Such a house has a flexible plan which usually in-
cluded a courtyard. The walls of stucco are unbroken except for
a few windows and doors.