Events, Meetings and Meals with a Sense of Occasion El Rancho de Las Golondrinas is a living history museum located on 500 acres in a rural farming valley just south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a living history museum and historic site, we are dedicated to the...
A True New Mexico Wedding in the Land of Enchantment Make your wedding historic at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas. Our unique historic site and cultural landscape, along with our modern facilities will make your wedding one to remember and be talked about for years to...
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Learning and volunteer resources for El Rancho de Las Golondrinas.
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El Rancho de Las Golondrinas could not operate without the help of its dedicated volunteers.If you enjoy the history and culture of New Mexico, consider volunteering at Las Golondrinas. We host 55,000 visitors annually from around the world and always need talented...
(photos by Richard Gonzales)Tanned deer, elk and buffalo hides were used to make pants, shirts, jackets, botas (leggings), moccasins and blankets. These tanned hides were often shipped south on the Camino Real and became a major trade item between the Spanish and...
(photos by Richard Gonzales)Tinsmithing is one of the many trades demonstrated at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas. New Mexico has a fascinating history with tinsmithing. When the American Army and traders came in the 1800s, they brought food and oil in tin cans,...
Mills were operating in New Mexico by the early 1600s, showing up in official letters and accounts of the time. There are two operating mills at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, the Barela Truchas Mill and the Big Mill from Sapelló. Near the Truchas Mill are canoas or...
(photo by Richard Gonzales)Skilled carpenters would have made furniture, including tables, chairs, chests and shelves. Active in New Mexico from the very beginning of Spanish settlement, these artisans developed unique furniture styles while supplying the settlers of...
(photos by Richard Gonzales)The Blacksmith was vital to life in early New Mexico and was present on the northern frontier as early as 1598. The fragua (forge) and yunque (anvil) were where most of the tools were made and repaired. Our forge is made of adobe and the...
(photos by Richard Gonzales)Learn about our sheep-to-shawl program as our skilled weavers demonstrate how the Spanish settlers carded, spun and wove wool to make rugs, blankets and clothing— including serapes (blankets or shawls worn by men) and rebozos (shawls worn...
