This string kind of interested me and after a phone conversation with the
curator from the Museum of South Texas History I found out that Chipicil
tile is a type of building material endemic to Northeast Mexico and deep
South Texas.  The major components are lime, sand, and small gravel.  Oral
tradition has it being created as a result of Indian raiding in the late
19th century in which structures were lost to fires.  It would be used to
make roofing tiles, floor slabs, mortar or wall paste.  She said the pieces
they have at the museum look like fragments of cement or concrete.

Hope this helps,

Rolando L. Garza
Archeologist/Chief of Resource Management
Palo Alto Battlefield NHP
1623 Central Blvd., Rm 213
Brownsville, Texas 78520
(956) 541-2785 ext. 331
cell (956) 466-5490
fax (956) 541-6356


                                                                           
             Barbara Hickman                                               
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             07/27/2012 02:09                                              
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I don't recognize the name either. The article below mentions chipicil
slabs. The STAA library is at the University of Texas at San Antonio Center
for Archeological Research. I would try to get the article from CAR or ask
Tim Perttula directly.

Record 673
Perttula, Timothy K. "The Historic Ranchos at Falcon Reservoir on the Rio
Grande." La Tierra, Volume 30 No. 3&4. Southern Texas Archeological
Association
Summary: A documentation and discussion of the preserved architectural lay
out of some of the 18th-20th century ranchos in Zapata & Starr Co.


Barbara J Hickman, Staff Archeologist
Archeological Studies Program
Environmental Affairs Division
Texas Department of Transportation
125 East 11th Street
Austin TX 78701
Telephone: 512.416.2637
Fax: 512.416.2680




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