Ramada (shelter)
Encyclopedia
Ramada
Ramada is a hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide.- History :The lodging chain was founded in 1953 by longtime Chicago restaurateur Marion W...
In the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a ramada is a temporary or permanent shelter equipped with a roof but no walls, or only partially enclosed.
Ramadas have traditionally been constructed with branches or bushes by aboriginal Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
living in the region. However, the term today is also applied to permanent concrete, wooden, or steel structures used to shelter objects or people from the sun. For example, public parks in desert areas of the United States may contain ramadas with picnic tables, restrooms, water sources, etc. Since sunlight is more of an environmental hazard than wind or snow or rain in this part of the world, a roof alone provides substantial shelter, even if there are no walls.
An example of a large modern-day ramada can be seen at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, in Coolidge, Arizona, just northeast of the city of Casa Grande, preserves a group of Ancient Pueblo Peoples Hohokam structures of the Pueblo III and Pueblo IV Eras.-Ancient pueblos:...
in Arizona, where it is used to protect ancient ruins.