SANTO DOMINGO.- Although most homes in the world are built with materials such as wood, cement or brick, there is a place in South America where salt is the main building material.
In Colchani, a small town near the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the world's largest salt desert, the inhabitants use this natural resource to build houses, make furniture, and even construct entire hotels.
According to the newspaper Diario Uno, in this community salt is not only abundant, but it has become the most widely used material in daily life. Blocks of compacted salt serve as bricks for walls, while tables, chairs, beds, and other objects can also be made from this same material.
The construction process begins with the extraction of the salt, which is then cut into uniform blocks. These are stacked and joined with mortar or clay, forming solid and functional structures. In addition to its availability, this material helps maintain a relatively stable interior temperature, which is useful given the area's climatic variations.
According to the El Destape, this technique has also been applied in tourism projects, such as hotels built almost entirely with salt blocks, which has contributed to the development of tourism in the region.
The proximity to the Salar de Uyuni explains the use of this resource in local architecture, since the abundance of salt has allowed its use both in construction and in the daily life of the community.
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