On October 14-19, 1990, the 6th International Conference on the Conservation of Earthen Architecture was held in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Sponsored by the GCI, the Museum of New Mexico State Monuments, ICCROM, CRATerre-EAG, and the National Park Service, under the aegis of US/ICOMOS, the event was organized to promote the exchange of ideas, techniques, and research findings on the conservation of earthen architecture. Presentations at the conference covered a diversity of subjects, including the historic traditions of earthen architecture, conservation and restoration, site preservation, studies in consolidation and seismic mitigation, and examinations of moisture problems, clay chemistry, and microstructures. In discussions that focused on the future, the application of modern technologies and materials to site conservation was urged, as was using scientific knowledge of existing structures in the creation of new, low-cost, earthen architecture housing.

This fully illustrated exhibition catalogue, featuring a scholarly essay by exhibition curator Karl Willers and an interview with the artist by Arnd Schneider, presents the first comprehensive survey of the work of the Uruguayan artist Rimer Cardillo. Included are discussions of the artist's contributions to the fields of printmaking and graphic arts, as well as his special commitment to the preservation of indigenous cultures, the protection of endangered species, and the conservation of vulnerable environments. This catalogue is a bilingual edition, with the essay and the interview available in both English and Spanish.