The Mud House Boom and Bust

"Rents had risen in recent years, and local residents and home builders let their enthusiasm get the better of them, turning out a spate of new construction. Now, rows of newly built houses stand empty in the village, and rents have been cut in half. So far, not so different from Miami or Phoenix. Except that these homes are one-room, windowless mud-brick huts, and the rent is about $6.50 a month."

The boom was driven by an influx of workers coming to work in nearby mines. But when demand for mining dropped, the workers stopped coming, and many of those who had come left.