Tezontle () is a

porous Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void (i.e. "empty") spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0% and 100%. Strictly speaking, some tests measure ...

, highly oxidized,

volcanic rock Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and me ...

used extensively in construction in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is usually reddish in color due to iron oxide. Tezontle is a well-cemented, agglomeritic and

scoria Scoria or cinder is a pyroclastic, highly vesicular, dark-colored volcanic rock formed by ejection from a volcano as a molten blob and cooled in the air to form discrete grains called clasts.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackso ...

ceous rock.

Uses

Construction

Tezontle can be mixed with

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

to form lightweight concrete blocks, or mixed with

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

to create

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

finishes. Many colonial buildings in Mexico use the reddish cut tezontle on their facades. Tezontle is a common construction material in the

Historic Center of Mexico City The historic center of Mexico City (), also known as the Centro or Centro Histórico, is the central neighborhood in Mexico City, Mexico, focused on the Zócalo (or main plaza) and extending in all directions for a number of blocks, with its fart ...

as the relatively light-weight stone helps impede a building from sinking into the unstable lake bed on which Mexico City was built.

Other uses

Non-building uses include its inclusion in flower arrangements and botanical gardens, as substrate for aquariums, and for temazcales and ovens. Tezontle is often used as the top layer of gravel on unpaved roads in Mexico.

Facades

Many buildings use tezontle to create an aesthetic facade. Here are some examples. * Church of San Bernardo, Mexico City * House of Count de la Torre de Cossio *

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven (), also commonly called the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, is the cathedral church of the Catholic Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico, Archdiocese o ...

Nacional Monte de Piedad The Nacional Monte de Piedad is a not-for-profit institution and pawnbroker, pawnshop whose main office is located just off the Zócalo, or main plaza of Mexico City. It was commanded to be built between 1774 and 1777 by Don Pedro Romero de Terre ...

National Palace (Mexico) The National Palace () is the seat of the Federalism, federal Executive branch, executive in Mexico. Since 2018 it has also served as the official residence for the President of Mexico. It is located on Mexico City's main square, the Plaza de la ...

References

Igneous rocks Volcanology {{Volcanology-stub