A viga ceiling is the traditional Southwestern adobe roof seen from below. A row of round peeled timber beams crosses the room. Smaller latilla poles are laid across them. Vigas are usually Ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce, or aspen, eight to twelve inches in diameter. They double as structural roof support in genuine adobe construction. Above them sit the latillas, often arranged in herringbone or zigzag patterns. Then the historic earthen roof packing or a modern membrane is built up. The ceiling reads as a heavy, hand-finished pattern of cylindrical beams and stick infill. It defines Pueblo, Santa Fe, and Territorial Revival interiors.
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