Construction of an iconic beehive-shaped mud oven horno will commence over two upcoming weeks in July at the New Mexico History Museum in the courtyard of the Palace of the Governors. Construction will take place Wednesday & Thursday, July 12 & 13, and Tuesday & Wednesday, July 18 & 19.
The working horno will be built by Felipe Ortega, a Jicarilla Apache micaceous potter and lifelong horno expert. Once complete, the horno will be prepped for baking which could take up to a month. The new horno will bake bread to serve to visitors to the New Mexico History Museum and the Palace of the Governors. Bread will be baked by a certified baker and sold to the general public.
A demonstration oven in the plazuela, the courtyard of the Palace of the Governors, will serve to illuminate traditional work in New Mexico, adobe building technology and architecture, historical technologies for baking, and provide a first-hand and memorable understanding of the flavor of our regional culture.
