Using a word dating back from the 1860’s, the casita might just be the original tiny house. The Spanish diminutive of casa or house is used to describe a small Latino style home, usually sharing space with other homes its size. My husband and I spent a portion of the holidays in Baja, Mexico, and stayed in a casita near the marine sanctuary of Cabo Pulmo. Each of these tiny houses are part of a small village that is completely off the grid. The villagers’ power comes from solar panels, generators and propane.
These types of Baja casitas are typically made out of cement blocks and are coated with a few layers of cement, which is rounded over the corners of the blocks. Other casitas in Mexico are made of adobe brick and coated with layers of mud and straw. The cement blocks help to keep out the desert heat and block El Norte, or the heavy winter winds that come from the north.