Mesilla and La Mesa, New Mexico | 2024 This project examines earthen barns as vital components of rural life in two river-fed agricultural landscapes: Ghuta near Damascus and the Mesilla Valley of southern New Mexico. Despite their distance, both regions developed barn typologies shaped by irrigation, land tenure, and farming cycles. In Ghuta, fertile plains along the Barada River once sustained large estates and family farms. Adobe barns were used to store grain, house tools and animals, and support a land-based system deeply tied to local agricultural rhythms. Similarly, in the Mesilla Valley, barns built from adobe and timber supported farms along the Rio Grande. They served both household needs and commercial production, evolving with shifts in irrigation and landholding systems. Through fieldwork and comparative analysis, the project traces how barns in both regions reflect material economy, resilience, and continuity.