What do adobe houses look like?

Adobe houses are low-slung, earth-colored structures with thick mud-plastered walls and flat roofs hidden behind battered parapets. Timber vigas project from the upper wall. Walls are typically 18–24 inches thick, giving deeply recessed windows and door openings. Corners are softly rounded rather than crisp 90 degrees. The surface is hand-finished rather than smooth. Roofs are drained by wooden or metal canales projecting through the parapet. Color stays in the earth-tone range — warm browns, ochres, and rust — because the plaster is pigmented by the local clay. Single-family adobes are usually one story. Traditional inhabited Pueblos like Taos rise three to five stories using setbacks.