Martinez Hacienda facts for kids
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Severino Martinez House
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Family chapel in Martinez Hacienda
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 Location in New Mexico
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| Location | 2 mi. from Taos Plaza, on the Lower Ranchitos Rd., Taos, New Mexico |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1804 |
| Architectural style | Hacienda |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001153 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 23, 1973 |
The Martinez Hacienda, also called Hacienda de los Martinez, is a historic home in Taos County, New Mexico. It was built a long time ago when Spain ruled parts of America. Today, it's a special museum where you can see what life was like back then. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical site. You can find it near the Rio Pueblo de Taos river.
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What is a Hacienda?
A Hacienda was like a very large farm or ranch in Spanish-speaking countries. The word comes from an old Spanish word meaning "things to be done." These haciendas were big estates with lots of land. They often had many people working there.
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Spanish colonialization in 1819
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History of the Hacienda
Building a Home and Fortress
In 1804, a man named Don Antonio Severino Martinez bought this land. He moved his family from Abiquiu to Taos that same year. At first, the hacienda was a small house with only four rooms. But as Martinez became more successful, it grew much larger.
The hacienda was built with very thick adobe walls. Adobe is a natural building material made from earth. It had no windows on the outside walls. This design helped protect the family. The hacienda had two inner courtyards, called placitas. Around these courtyards, 21 rooms were built.
It was designed like a fortress to protect against attacks. Plains tribes, like the Comanche and Apache, sometimes raided the area. When there was danger, the farm animals were brought inside the courtyards for safety.
The Martinez Family
Severino Martinez married Maria del Carmel Santistevan in 1787. They had six children, and all of them lived into adulthood. Severino was an important person in Taos. He was the alcalde, which means mayor. He was also a successful trader and merchant.
The Martinez Hacienda was the biggest hacienda in the Taos Valley. It covered about five square miles of land. It was a busy working ranch and farm. Severino raised many animals, including pigs, goats, oxen, mules, burros, horses, and sheep. They also grew crops like corn, squash, wheat, peas, and chilis.
Severino worked with Navajo and Ute people on the ranch and farm. Maria, his wife, managed about 30 Native American workers. The women made woven goods and tanned leather from raw wool. The men, women, and children who worked on the farm were often acquired through trade.
Trade and Success
During the time of Spanish rule, goods were either made locally or brought from Mexico City. They traveled along a famous trade route called the Spanish El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. The Martinez Hacienda was the very last stop on this long route to the north. Today, the museum shows how this trade worked.
After 1821, Severino also traded goods along the Santa Fe Trail. His successful trading business helped him send his son, Antonio José Martínez, to study to become a priest. Antonio José later became a very important spiritual leader in Taos.
Changes Over Time
Severino Martinez lived at the hacienda until he passed away in 1827. In his will, he left his large fortune to his six children. He also left money to a nephew and two female servants he had freed. The Martinez family kept the property for many years. They owned it when Mexico took control of New Mexico from Spain. They also kept it when New Mexico became a United States territory and then a state.
In 1931, the hacienda was sold outside of the family. Over the years, it started to fall apart. In 1961, Jerome Milord and his family bought it and began to fix it up. Later, in 1969 or 1972, the Kit Carson Memorial Foundation bought it. They worked hard to restore the property. By 1982, the hacienda looked just like it did in 1820.
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Bridge, stables and the hacienda in the background
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First courtyard, where most of the family activities occurred
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La Cocina, or kitchen
The Museum Today
A Living History Experience
The Martinez Hacienda is now owned by the Taos Historic Museums. It is a special "living museum" that honors the early Hispanic settlers of the Taos Valley. It focuses on showing what life was like in the 1820s under Spanish rule.
For example, you can see weaving exhibits. The wool used was dyed with colors made from plants. The inside walls of the hacienda are painted with tierra blanca. This is a white mixture of special clay and wheat paste.
The Martinez Hacienda is one of the few Spanish colonial haciendas in the United States that is open to the public all year.
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Buffalo and beaver fur exhibit
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Santos room
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Gift shop
Annual Taos Trade Fair
Every year in late September, the hacienda hosts the Taos Trade Fair. This event brings Spanish colonial life back to life. It celebrates the trading that happened between mountain men, Native Americans, and Spanish settlers. You can watch demonstrations by blacksmiths, wood carvers, and weavers. The museum also has a working weaving room and a blacksmith shop.
See also
