Cemented bahareque is a bamboo–mortar composite system whose seismic behavior has been insufficiently explored. This study experimentally evaluated eight full-scale cemented bahareque wall specimens (2.5 m × 2.5 m) with and without openings, reinforced and unreinforced, under cyclic and monotonic loads. Results revealed peak loads up to 16.9 kN, ductility factors above 8, and equivalent damping around 0.15–0.40. Reinforced walls exceeded the unreinforced ones by 30–40% in ultimate lateral resistance capacity, whereas walls with openings outperformed those without openings by up to 50% in load resistance. Ultimately, parameters such as drift, viscous damping and energy dissipated are remarkable comparing to traditional construction systems. Besides, reinforcing technique for the damaged wall resulted in a simple effective way to providing around 40% higher ductility alongside effective constructive considerations such as J-hook mortar filled connections. These findings confirm the potential of cemented bahareque for affordable, resilient social housing in seismic regions, offering high ductility, and feasible post-seismic rehabilitation strategies.