Many Mesa homes feature beautiful tile. Kitchens and bathrooms are some of the more common areas Mesa residents choose to utilize tile, but its uses are not limited to just floors and backsplashes. In fact, people have been using tile for a multitude of purposes for centuries. Many buildings in ancient Greece and other Mediterranean countries boast fired roof tiles similar to the terra cotta ones found on the roofs of some homes and other buildings in Mesa. While they are a fairly common sight in Mesa, in ancient times roof tiles were usually reserved for important buildings like temples. This is partly because they were bulky, more expensive, and more difficult to make than other roofing options, and partly because they helped make the building more fire-proof, an important thing for architects of the time to keep in mind. Fortunately for Mesa homeowners, modern roof tiles are similarly fire resistant, and they are much more cost effective to make than they were back then!
Mesa residents may also be familiar with another historic use of tile: mosaics and other decorative work. During the time of the Ottoman Empire, Islamic mosques and palaces were often heavily decorated with tile. Sometimes words, flora motifs, or geometric patterns were actually painted on or inscribed into the surface before it was fired; other times a variety of colored tiles were used to create similar patterns over large spaces. This Persian style of décor spread across Europe, becoming especially popular in Spain and Portugal. A love of decorative tile was brought to the New World with early Spanish colonists and is still strong in the Southwest to this day. Buildings in Mesa with a Southwestern flavor often boast brightly colored decorative tiles on floors, walls, table tops, and other surfaces. Whenever you see decorative tile used in Mesa, you are seeing a little bit of history.
