They are called vigas. Vigas are round, debarked timber beams that span the room and project past the exterior wall. Traditional vigas are Ponderosa pine or Engelmann spruce, eight to twelve inches in diameter. The smaller peeled poles laid perpendicular across them are latillas, often arranged in herringbone or straight-stack patterns. In genuine seventeenth-century New Mexico construction the vigas were the actual roof structure. In modern Pueblo Revival homes they are usually decorative tails grafted onto stucco-over-frame walls. Engelmann spruce is preferred for new work because it resists cracking. Ponderosa pine remains the most common species across New Mexico and Arizona.
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