This study investigates the structural behavior of bahareque earth walls, a traditional construction system commonly used in rural areas of northern South America. Bahareque (wattle and daub) walls, consisting of guadua (a bamboo-like material) or wooden frames filled with soil mixes, have demonstrated considerable resilience in seismic zones due to their lightweight and flexible nature. Despite their widespread use in these communities, limited scientific data exist on their seismic performance under in-plane pseudo-static horizontal loading. This research addresses this gap by experimentally evaluating the seismic behavior of five wall models with different combinations of guadua, wood, and earth filling materials. The methodology included four main phases, namely field visits to document traditional construction techniques, material characterization, prototype testing under pseudo-static loads, and an analysis of mechanical behavior. Key material properties, including compressive strength and Young’s modulus, were determined, alongside the mechanical and physical properties of the infill material, which incorporated natural fibers. Pseudo-static tests were conducted on five wall prototypes, featuring various configurations of guadua and wood frameworks, both with and without soil infill. The walls were subjected to horizontal in-plane loads to assess their deformation capacity, energy dissipation, and failure mechanisms. The results indicated that walls with soil mixture infill—specifically the GSHS (guadua frame with horizontal guadua strips and soil mixture infill) and TSHS (wood frame with horizontal guadua strips and soil mixture infill) configurations—demonstrated the best seismic performance, with maximum displacements reaching up to 166 mm and strengths ranging from 6.4 to 8.4 kN. The study concludes that bahareque walls, particularly those incorporating soil mixes and horizontal guadua strips, exhibit high resilience under seismic conditions and provide a sustainable construction alternative for rural regions. The scope of this study is limited by the exclusion of dynamic seismic simulations, which could offer additional insights into the behavior of bahareque walls under real earthquake conditions. The novelty of this research lies in the direct evaluation of the seismic performance of traditional bahareque configurations, specifically comparing walls constructed with guadua and wooden frameworks, while emphasizing the critical role of soil infill and guadua strips in structural performance.

Some communities in Valle del Cauca department (Colombia) live in houses made of bahareque walls. It is important to study the seismic performance of these structures as they are in an earthquake-prone region. This study develops a finite element modeling strategy to assess the cyclic behavior of bahareque walls in Colombia. Two types of walls are analyzed, including wood and guadua for the bare frame. The Puck failure criterion is used. The model is calibrated from results of pseudo-static tests on three walls without infill and two with infill. Results show that the model correctly predicts the first load cycles, but it presents convergence difficulties for higher cycles. It is necessary to further simulate some phenomena, such as the separation of nails in the joints.