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Yucca has certainly earned its place among state symbols as it has many prominent uses. The Pueblos used the Yucca plant to make things like mats, shoes, rope, and as it turns out, soap!  Yucca Soap

Did you know that New Mexico film history predates New Mexico’s establishment as a state? Shot in 1898, one of the first films made on the newly developed Edison Camera, “Indian Day School” was a 50 second “moving picture” depiction of children exiting a schoolhouse at Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico! Expanding from there, this short […]

So What is Living History? A simulation of life in another time – Jay Anderson For research, interpretation, and play – Jay Anderson A history that does work in the world and influences the course of history – Carl Becker A form of theater in which participants use performance to create a world, tell a […]

El Rancho de las Golondrinas Historic Timeline

Passionately dedicated to the preservation of New Mexico’s culture and heritage, El Rancho de las Golondrinas founder, Mrs. Leonora Curtin Paloheimo, started Native Market during the Great Depression in 1934 as a commercial outlet and platform for New Mexican artisans and craftsmen to showcase and sell their work. A visit to El Rancho de las […]

Eleven states seceded from the Union in 1861, forming the Confederate States of America and sparking the American Civil War. While the South had focused on building an agrarian society, the North had invested in industrial expansion and was better equipped for military campaigns. The Confederacy was desperately short of raw materials for war productions, […]

  The Moors, hailing from northern Africa, occupied southern Spain for seven centuries. They had a substantial influence on the people of Spain, largely influencing language, intellectual and artistic culture, agriculture and architecture. Though the Spanish were eventually able to drive the Moors out of the last stronghold at Granada in 1492, the Moors had […]

Out of necessity, general stores like La Tiendita here at Las Golondrinas, got their start during the colonial period for the many pioneers who lived on the fringes of the frontier, far from any urban center. Many owners of these mercantiles began as traveling peddlers and once they had the financial ability, and steady supply […]

During the Spanish Colonial Period (1598-1821), New Mexico’s main artery of connection to the outside world was El Camino Real, also known as the Royal Road or the King’s Highway, which connected Santa Fe with Mexico City 1,200 miles away. The story of El Camino Real lasted more than 220 years, from its beginning in […]

This interpretation will concentrate upon the development of education in New Mexico from the 18th century through the late 19th century. Education was vital to New Mexico and there was a constant need for educators, Formal education at missions for Native populations. Formal education for Spanish settlers Informal education in Spanish homes These systems of […]

The Sierra (mountain) Village is comprised of buildings that are not original to the ranch and are arranged to show what life was like in the high sierras of Northern New Mexico. This particular group of homes and outbuildings depicts a family plot of land comprised of a young couple with children and their elderly […]

This little store would have served the needs of both ranch and local residents. After the opening of the Old Santa Fe Trail, residents were able to purchase some of the goods that had been previously absent or difficult to obtain—particularly tools and building materials. With the coming of the railroad to New Mexico in […]

Casa de Manuel Baca y Delgado The House of Manuel Baca y Delgado This home is believed to have been built in the early 1800s by the Baca family. Manuel Baca y Delgado, born around 1824, was from a well-to-do family and is believed to have lived in this house. He was involved in the […]

Presentation Goals Emphasize the theme of self-reliance among the region’s settlers during the colonial and territorial periods; Discuss the role of sorghum in the food supply of the ranch; Discuss (or illustrate and demonstrate) the extraction of juice from sorghum cane; Discuss the later steps in the preparation of sorghum molasses (aka miel); Describe the […]

The Golondrinas Placita is a partially reconstructed example of an 18th century Spanish colonial home, built as a defensive structure and positioned on the Camino Real as a Rancho and paraje (stopping place). Built in the 1960s, the entire structure is not original. The Chapel and Founders Room are believed to have been constructed between […]

El Cuarto de Recibo Reception Room Located directly adjacent to the large entry zaguán, the Reception Room would have been the realm of the man of the house. The Rancho was far more than a home and served as the center of a business enterprise that included farming, raising livestock, production of wool products including […]

Talleres de Hilar y Tejer Weaving and Spinning Rooms In 1540, the first sheep were brought to New Mexico with Francisco Vasquez Coronado’s expedition. They were driven along with the expedition and used tofeed the soldiers during their two-year exploration of the Southwest. With the Spanish colonization of New Mexico in 1598, sheep were utilized […]

Country Store This building from Las Trampas, NM was acquired from Mr. Jose Martinez of Vallecito, NM in 1969. At one point in the early 1900s it was a store/post office (a common feature in rural New Mexico) run by Jose Medina. He sold the store to two brothers, Jose C. Romero and Benito Romero. […]