4 - THE BASE

Summary

A house's most important component is its base (base) or foundation (fundamento). This is the wealth of the house, and through it necessities are met. “The base,” said one man, “is what permits you to work; it is for living, and a defense for meeting heavy obligations.” As many explained, the base is what you need to be able to start work; one works with the base and on it, and one is supplied by it. A house relies on good management, hard work, thrift, and judicious trading in the marketplace, but its existence depends on a proper foundation, accumulated over time.

When the people describe a base, they mention a variety of material things. Land is primary, for it is the earth that gives. A base also includes seed or accumulated harvests, tools, and animals: it is “the land, tools, seed, fertilizer, and even the drugs for animals.” The size of base a house requires depends on its expenditures; a house with more people and animals must have more on which to work, to live, and to create future supplies. A potter says that his base consists of sand or clay, molds, a place in which to work, an oven, and some money to purchase other productive materials. Cash is part of the foundation, but money alone does not make a base.