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The Martinez Hacienda (Hacienda de los Martínez) is one of the few remaining Spanish colonial era haciendas in the Southwest. It’s located in Taos, New Mexico.
History
The Martinez Hacienda was built in 1804 by Severino Martín (d. 1827). It has high adobe walls and no exterior windows. It sat at the northernmost point of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and was an important trade center at the northern boundary of New Spain.
The hacienda has two inner courtyards, and 21 rooms were built around them. When Comanche or Apache raiders threatened the area, livestock were brought into the courtyards for safety.
The Martínez family owned the property until they sold it in 1931. It fell into disrepair and was purchased in 1961 by Jerome Milord, who reconstructed it. The Kit Carson Memorial Foundation purchased it in either 1969 or 1972, and by 1982 it had been restored to its state in 1820. The Martinez Hacienda is now owned by Taos Historic Museums.
Visiting
Adult admission to the Martinez Hacienda is US$10 (as of January 2024). It’s closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Rooms
The rooms of the Martinez Hacienda contain displays related to Spanish colonial times in the early 1800s. Each room has a different exhibit as well as interpretive panels and information about what you’re seeing. The following photos show the rooms in order of our visit.
Daily Life
Around the first courtyard, the rooms contained exhibits on daily life at the hacienda. The first few rooms focused on the personal living quarters of the owners.
Next was a room full of tools and supplies used in a typical home in the early 19th century as well as a kitchen.
The following room was dedicated to an art exhibit including quilts, while the next room contained a collection of photos and drawings titled The Lighter Side of Taos.
Trades
We continued our walk through the Martinez Hacienda to the next courtyard. The rooms in this courtyard focused on trades practiced in the Spanish colonial era. First was a room full of antique looms explaining techniques of weaving. An authentic collection of handmade stockings and other interesting pieces hung on the wall.
From there, the next room contained displays filled with artwork and statues, mostly of a religious nature. Some were carved from wood while others were made of tin.
Blacksmith and saddler workshops followed, then rooms displaying farming and fur trapping equipment.
Finally, we got to see a small collection of authentic shotguns and pistols from the period.
