House | Grounds | Adobe Bricks | Candles

(Click the pictures to see a larger version.)	Sanchez Adobe
	Sanchez Adobe The Sanchez Adobe was built of adobe bricks near an Ohlone village called Pruristac. The family of Francisco Sanchez lived here on a rancho of almost 9,000 acres called Rancho San Pedro. A whole city - present day Pacifica - is built on the old rancho land.
	Steer In front of the adobe house you can practice roping and branding a steer. You can see the FS brand of the Sanchez family on the hide.
	Branding The branding iron has a long handle so that the brander can stay a safe distance from the hot brand and the smell of burning hair.
	Grinding Corn Francisco Sanchez's wife, Maria Florencia Teodora Higuera (Teodora for short), was in charge of preparing the meals. A metate (flat grinding stone) and mano (hand held stone) are used to grind corn in the shade of the adobe house. It would have taken about 6 hours a day to grind enough corn to feed the Sanchez family and servants. Several women and girls would take turns grinding.

House | Grounds | Adobe Bricks | Candles

(Click the pictures to see a larger version.)	Creek & Grounds
	Creek The Sanchez Adobe was built close to a creek. The Sanchez family used the water for drinking, cooking, washing, fishing, and making adobe bricks.
	Soapweed Soapweed still grows in the grounds. This plant was used by the Ohlone for washing and also for fishing.
	Soapweed Root The root of the soapweed is the part of the plant used by the Ohlone.
	Soapweed Clove The soapweed root can be separated into several cloves. The clove is crushed in the hands and rubbed briskly to make soap for washing. For fishing, the Ohlone crushed the cloves and dropped them into the creek. Chemicals in the soapweed cloves constrict the blood vessels in the gills of the fish, making it difficult for the fish to get oxygen from the water. The fish drown and float to the top of the creek, making it easy to gather them for food.

House | Grounds | Adobe Bricks | Candles

(Click the pictures to see a larger version.)	Making Adobe Bricks
	Adobe Pit To build an adobe house, you first need to create an adobe pit by soaking a circle of adobe soil with water. The Sanchez family carried water from the nearby creek.
	Straw Straw was added to the adobe mud to make the bricks stronger and less likely to crack.
	Mixing the Adobe The straw and adobe mud were mixed together by children from the ages of 9-10 by squishing through the thick adobe mud with their feet.
	Washing Adobe mud is very sticky and difficult to wash away!
	Adobe Brick The mixed straw and adobe mud was pressed into a mold and left to dry in the sun. Children ages 12 and above were considered adults and expected to make 40 bricks a day. It took about six years for the Sanchez family to make enough bricks to build their house.

House | Grounds | Adobe Bricks | Candles

(Click the pictures to see a larger version.)	Making Candles
	Soaking the Wick When making a candle, the first step is to tie several wicks to a stick. Then hold the wick in the hot wax (or tallow) for about 30 seconds to soak the wick completely.
	Candles Candle dipping by hand is a tedious process. The wick has to be dipped over and over into the hot wax, cooling between dips. While making candles, people would often sing to make the chore more enjoyable.
	Candles If the wax (or tallow) gets too hot it will melt the previous layers back off again. Check your knots frequently. If a candle slips back into the pot it dissolves almost immediately.
	Candles The Sanchez family would have made candles out of tallow, which tends to smoke and smell when burned. Candles out of wax like this would have been saved for very special occasions.
	Candle Rack Finished candles are hung on a rack to harden completely. Then the rounded ends are trimmed flat so that the candles will stay upright when burned.

House | Grounds | Adobe Bricks | Candles

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