The everyday living spaces inside Spanish-New Mexican houses tend to combine domestic activities and to appear similar in space and decor. Inside a _Hispano_ church, however, areas of special useage are marked off clearly within the volume. Celebration of the mass requires a special spatial treatment to indicate the sanctuary. This area is emphasized by an arched entry, lateral pilasters, raised floor, and characteristically convergent side walls. These slanting walls provide better vision for the congregation and easier movement for the celebrants. The convergent wall of sanctuaries is often visible from the exterior. It is noteworthy that both the contracted sanctuary of local churches and the linear arrangement of domestic interiors appear in the _penitente moradas_ of Abiquiú. In the plans of the Abiquiú _moradas_ (Figure 4), the identical arrangement of the three rooms reveals an origin in the typical _Hispano_ house form. George Kubler has observed that the design of _moradas_ "is closer to the domestic architecture of New Mexico than to the churches."[45] Bainbridge Bunting confirms the houselike form of _moradas_ but notes their lack of uniformity.[46] In comparison to _moradas_ of the L-plan,[47] and even of the pre-1856 T-plan structure at Arroyo Hondo,[48] the two _penitente_ buildings at Abiquiú preserve a simple | shape with one significant variation--a contracted chancel. [Illustration: FIGURE 4. Plans of south _morada_ (top) and east _morada_ (bottom): A=altar; B=standard; C=candelabra; D=sandbox; E=benches; F=fireplace; G=stove; H=chest; I=tub.] The basic form of the Abiquiú _moradas_ (Figures 5 and 6) is a rectangular box that closely resembles nearby houses. Even the long, windowless north facade of both Abiquiú _moradas_ recalls the unbroken walls of earlier _Hispano_ houses in hostile frontier regions. The Abiquiú _moradas_, however, possess one exception to the domestic form--a narrowed, accented end. On each _morada_ the west end is blunted and buttressed by a salient bell tower of stones laid in _adobe_ mortar and strengthened by horizontal boards (Figures 7 and 8). This innovation in the form of the Abiquiú _moradas_ appears to be ecclesiastic in origin. [Illustration: FIGURE 5. SOUTH _Morada_. SIZE: 24.02 meters long, 5.41 wide, 3.51 high. DATE: About 1900. LOCATION: 400 meters south of Santo Tomás Church in main plaza; seen from southeast corner. MANUFACTURE: _Adobe_ bricks on stone foundation; wood door and window frames.] [Illustration: FIGURE 6. EAST _Morada_. SIZE: 28.82 meters long, 4.88 wide, 3.58 high. DATE: 19th century. LOCATION: 300 meters east-southeast of Santo Tomás Church in main plaza; seen from northeast corner. MANUFACTURE: _Adobe_ bricks set on stone foundation; wood drains (_canales_) and beam (_viga_) ends at top of wall.] [Illustration: FIGURE 7. West end of south _morada_, showing construction of bell tower and contracted sanctuary walls.]