Our favorites!
As we travel the state, we are finding some special places that just cry out to be shared. One such place is El Rancho de las Golondrinas, near Santa Fe. We'll be sharing other favorites with you soon!
There are times when "long ago is not far away." We learned that recently when we visited El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a 200-acre living history museum just south of Santa Fe.
Seems I've always had an interest in Colonial America but until 2005, when I returned to New Mexico, Colonial America was always focused on the East.
I have visited Mystic Seaport in Connecticut and toured the the 19th Century village as well as the Charles W. Morgan, the last surviving wooden whaler that coursed the seas from 1841 until 1921. I spent a long weekend at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts with its 40 original buildings comprising a New England village dating to 1790. As a kid, I saw Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida, where Ponce de Leon established a colony and searched for the fountain of youth.
Then there's Colonial Williamsburg, perhaps my favorite historical site in the East. Along with Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg immerses visitors in the English settlements and history leading to the Revolutionary War in 1776.
But in that year, while the English colonials were beginning to cast off the yoke of British rule, the Vega y Coca family at Las Golondrinas was standing firm against the Comanche. That alone fascinated me, but it was just one incident we learned during our visit to Las Golondrinas, which focuses on Spanish Colonial and Territorial life in New Mexico.
Miguel de la Vega y Coca may have purchased the land from the Spanish Crown in 1727, but he and his family weren't the first to live there. Native people had built adobe pueblos on nearby hills above the Santa Fe River and had farmed the cienegas, or marshlands, growing corn, beans, and squash for generations before Don Juan de Oñate decided to bring 500 settlers north from Mexico in 1598.
So in 1727 El Rancho de las Golondrinas, the ranch of the swallows, was founded. It was not only the home and ranch of the Vega y Cocas but it was also a paraje, or camp, along El Camino Real – the first south of Santa Fe and the last one northern travelers used before reaching the capital.
Our visit in July was somewhat serendipitous. We had planned to take in the Navajo rug auction at Crownpoint, only to realize we'd drive nearly 400 miles for that experience. So we stayed closer to Santa Fe and chose El Rancho de las Golondrinas. What we found and what we saw that day has made this "museum" one of our favorites.
Around the main entrance are the expected facilities – gift shop, gardens, picnic areas, exhibit hall, and education center. But when we stepped across the line sketched in the guide drawing, indicating a downhill slope, we stepped back in time – nearly 300 years – and, like I said, long ago was not so far away.
The first group of buildings on the tour comprise the original ranch. The earliest building has narrow windows, short doors, and a step down as you enter. This wasn't because people were necessarily short. Doorways were designed to cause one to pause so as not to smack their head or trip over the stair. It slowed invaders, namely Comanche, giving defenders a slight advantage. Narrow windows speak for themselves in the fortress-like La Cocina, or kitchen.
The next buildings were constructed in the early 1800s, after the threat of attacks had diminished. Windows are larger; rooms less like fortresses. The collection of buildings forms two placitas and in them we found history very much alive. Docents were carding wool, spinning yarn, and weaving. Beatrice Sandoval, a weaver, told us she was making the backing for her colcha embroidery, which was on display in the salon y capilla, the living room and chapel. Here the altar screen and stations of the cross are adorned with reredos and santeros. They aren't 18th Century originals, but were fashioned by eleven artists in 1994, who worked in traditional styles.
In the Manuel de Baca house, we met Gerry Watman, who pointed out we were in Josefina's kitchen, with its unique fireplace designed to accept and smoke a side of beef or lamb. Josefina is one of the characters of the popular American Girl book series, and the Josefina book is illustrated with scenes from this kitchen.
We also talked with the "proprietor" of La Tiendita, or country store, who showed us how goods arrived – tins, sacks, and large bottles of olive oil encased in wooden boxes. The carretas that carried the merchandise were right outside the door.
We could have spent all day right here in this complex, but there was much more to see. So we headed along the trails, past vegetable gardens and orchards. The fields at Las Golondrinas are so productive, the ranch donates literally tons of produce to local food pantries.
We climbed El Calvario where there was a tall cross and Indian paintbrush in bloom. Next to it was La Morada de la Conquistadora or the Penitente meeting house. There we met and talked with Ray Pino, whose family was the last owner before the ranch became a museum. We learned the mysterious and intriguing story of the Penitentes, which – although disbanded by the Catholic church – are still pursuing their mission. We had to ask. Sr. Pino is not a Penitente.
We got a lesson at La Escuelo de Ráton, a schoolhouse disassembled in Raton and relocated to Las Golondrinas. We stopped by El Molino Grande de Sapelló, the big grinding mill from Sapelló, Casa de la Abuelita, grandmother's house, and La Herreria Manuel Apodaca, Apodaca's blacksmith shop. Except for the original complex, nearly all the buildings were found in northern New Mexico and brought together to form the village. There are, in fact, about 50 different buildings visitors can explore. We only had time to see but a handful of them before the gates closed and we headed home.
We also arrived in the middle of the week, so there were no special programs, like the fiber arts weekend, frontier days and horses of the West, heros and villains from the past, and Fiesta de los Niños, a children's celebration which will be held September 4 and 5, 2010.
In fact, September 18 - 19, 2010, are the dates for the Santa Fe Renaissance Fair in partnership with Open Hands of Santa Fe. Open Hands is a charity, helping elderly and disabled New Mexicans to live with dignity and independence. During the weeknd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can enjoy Clan Tynker and live steel combat, jugglers, and dancers.
The first weekend in October brings the Harvest Festival to Las Golondrinas. Villagers bring in the harvest, crush wine grapes by foot, string chile ristras, and demonstrate other Colonial Spanish traditions. The Harvest Festival is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are festivals from early May to October and lectures at Santuario de Guadalupe in downtown Santa Fe, when Las Golondrinas is closed during winter.
So much to see. So much to learn. So little time to go where long ago is not so far away. You may be certain, this is one of our favorite places and we'll be back.
- Bud Russo
For more information, go to their website: www.golondrinas.org.
