While driving back from the coast on Wednesday, we noticed some men beside the road making bricks. Being curious folks by nature, we stopped and learned how bricks are made in Chile (and probably a lot of other places in the world.)
First mud and sawdust are put into this pit and a horse is attached to an implement that stirs the mud The horse walks around and around the pit to distribute the sawdust eve
nly throughout the mud.Then the mud is shaped into bricks one by one and stacked to dry. After they air dry, the bricks are stacked in a pyre that is covered with mud and a fire is lit between the brick stacks. The fire is kept burning for four days and then it takes another eight days before they are cool enough to be handled.
This pyre contains 10,000 bricks and while the men keep the fire burning they are also getting the next one ready to be lit while the first one cools.
4 comments:
Very interesting. I enjoyed the participants in the first photo. The engineer at work, C. pondering the process, and everyone wanting to try and turn the crank. I guess your dad and his brother will try and manufacture some brick when he gets back.
Such a labor intensive way of making bricks. But at least it is employment for several. Wonder where they go from there?
Thanks for sharing this part of your journey with us. It's always great to see photos from another part of the world.
Wow, what a great travelog! What fun you've had! Memories for a lifetime I'm sure! Perhaps the memories of this fire will warm you up next winter!
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