"One of my favorite parts of the internship was participating in the community workdays.  There were many different people, all working with the same purpose: to restore a historic building, whether it was a church or an old hacienda."

Sylvia Arroyo conducted her internship in New Mexico with Cornerstones Community Partnerships, a long-time partner of the US/ICOMOS International Intern Program.  Cornerstones is a non-profit organization that works with communities to restore historic adobe structures across the southwestern United States.  Cornerstones uses methods such as community workdays, presentations, hands-on experiences, and intergenerational teaching to help with different projects.  Throughout her internship, Sylvia had the opportunity to participate in a number of these activities.

Sylvia was primarily involved with documenting (through research and drawings) the San Miguel Chapel, the oldest church in the United States.  One of Sylvia's favorite programs was the community workdays, which gave her the opportunity to make mud/lime plaster for restoring adobe buildings.  She also enjoyed giving presentations to various groups.

Location