How to Carve a Pecho Paloma | Maestro Luis Montes

The "pecho paloma" is a familiar sight in buildings in Mexico as well as elsewhere around the world. The translation to english is 'dove breast," aptly named because the shape of the carving resembles the breast of a dove. It is used in roof construction on the ends of rafters that extend beyond the edge of the building structure. This technique developed over time as a way of protecting the exposed ends of the rafters from the water that pours from the roof in a rainstorm. By carving the rafters in this way it extends the lifespan of the wooden structure significantly. As it came to be a common and recognizable feature in the architecture, builders began to use it on cement beams as well, for the consistency of the esthetic.

If you are new to the concept of the pecho paloma, the images in the video might look to you more like pig snouts. That's because they're upside down. When installed on the structure (they run from the edge of the building up to the center beam) they are turned so that the long side is upright on the building edge. Then instead of a pig snout you have the appearance of a dove breast. So I suppose they could just as easily been named "upside down pig snouts" but that wouldn't be a very likely hispanic name for this or anything else.

Видео How to Carve a Pecho Paloma | Maestro Luis Montes канала BiM - Building in Mexico