A Territorial style home is a type of adobe house that is classic to the American Southwest. Territorial style homes are especially associated with New Mexico. The Territorial style is considered to be a blend of Pueblo and Victorian styles. European settlers in the 1800s combined traditional Pueblo architectural elements with their familiar Victorian design styles to form the Territorial style.

Territorial style homes have traditional Pueblo features such as the use of adobe. Adobe is a natural building material made of sun-dried clay and straw bricks. Territorial adobe homes also have the Pueblo style flat roof and vigas, which are wooden beams. Viga ends are usually exposed on the exterior of a Territorial style home. Pueblo style adobe homes generally don't have as much wood showing on the exterior.

Wooden posts, or portales, add support to Territorial porches. Many of these portales are also decorative and feature wood turning techniques. Unlike the characteristically unadorned, simple windows of Pueblo style adobe homes, Territorial windows often have elaborate dark wooden trim. The wood trim of the doors and windows may be painted in a Territorial style home. The front door might be painted a beautiful, bold color such as a vivid blue.

A major difference between Pueblo and Territorial architecture is the shape of the lines used in these designs. Pueblo style homes have rounded walls, while Territorial style ones have straight ones. Both home styles include parapets, or roof-top walls, but Territorial homes may also have brick parapet trim.

Smooth stucco rather than thickly plastered outside walls is typical in Territorial style homes. Wrought iron gates and courtyards are also popular in Territorial design. Earthy colors that blend with the Southwestern United States landscape are used in Territorial interiors and exteriors. These colors include reddish browns, sandy yellows and turquoise blues.

It is important to note that the Territorial style is often mixed with other Southwestern home styles, with the result being known as Santa Fe style. Santa Fe, New Mexico, has had a Historical Zoning Ordinance since 1957. The Ordinance requires new city buildings to include Territorial and Pueblo architectural features.