Mendoza Mansion Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mendoza Mansion
Palacete de las Mendoza

General information
Type	Mansion
Location	Pontevedra, Spain
Coordinates	42°25′58.44″N 8°38′51.36″W / 42.4329000°N 8.6476000°W / 42.4329000; -8.6476000
Construction started	1878
Completed	1880
Owner	Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra
Management	Rias Baixas Tourism
Technical details
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Architect	Alejandro Sesmero

The Mendoza Mansion is a beautiful old building in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. It stands between Santa María Avenue and Arzobispo Malvar Street, at the edge of the city's old town. Today, it's home to the Rias Baixas Tourist Office, where people can find information about visiting the area.

History of the Mendoza Mansion
Design of the Mendoza Mansion
Culture and Recipes
Gallery
See also

History of the Mendoza Mansion

The land where the Mendoza Mansion now stands has a long history. Long ago, a medieval castle and towers belonging to archbishops were located here. You can even find an interpretation center for those towers nearby today.

In 1877, a woman named Soledad Méndez Núñez bought the land. She was the sister of a famous sailor, Casto Méndez Núñez. Soledad hired a well-known architect, Alejandro Rodríguez Sesmero, to design her new home. This architect also designed other important buildings in Pontevedra, like the Provincial Council building and the City Hall. The mansion was built between 1878 and 1880.

Firsts and Famous Residents

The Mendoza Mansion was the first building in Pontevedra to have running water! The same architect, Sesmero, was also in charge of planning the city's water supply. Many old fountains were installed around the city, and one is very close to the mansion.

The first people to live in the mansion were Soledad Méndez Núñez, her sister Maria, Maria's husband José, and their daughter, Carmen Babiano Méndez-Núñez. Carmen later became a famous painter. The house was then passed down to Maria and Concepcion Mendoza Babiano, who were Carmen's daughters. They were important figures in the city's culture. They were the last family members to live in the mansion, staying there until 1971. During their time, the mansion was a popular meeting place for important people.

The Mansion on TV

After the family left, the building was not well cared for for a while. But in 1981, it became a filming location for a Spanish TV series called Los gozos y las sombras. The Mendoza Mansion was used as the outside of Doña Mariana's house in the show. However, the inside scenes were filmed in a different building in Madrid.

In the 1990s, a bank called Caja Madrid bought the mansion. Later, the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra purchased it. They turned it into the headquarters for Tourism Rias Baixas, which opened on July 28, 2004.

A Living Sculpture in the Garden

In 2015, something special happened in the mansion's gardens. An artist from Lugo transformed an old, dead yew tree. He placed large, heavy berries, weighing 40 kilos and 1.10 meters high, onto the tree's branches. The artist wanted the old tree to look like it was bearing fruit again, even though it was no longer alive.

Design of the Mendoza Mansion

The Mendoza Mansion is built in an eclectic style. This means it mixes different architectural ideas, popular in the late 1800s. It has features and designs inspired by French architecture.

The building has three main levels: a semi-basement, a ground floor, and a first floor. On the ground floor, you'll see a main entrance door and four windows. The upper floor has five doors that lead out to balconies. The tops of the windows and doors are decorated with fancy designs. The very top of the mansion has a round border called a circular cornice.

On the front of the building, the windows are framed with classic-looking borders. The windows on the second floor have triangular tops, while those on the first floor have rounded arches. When the Caja Madrid bank owned the building, they changed the inside. They removed some of the original rooms, like the music room and dining room, to create a central courtyard. The mansion is set apart from other buildings and surrounded by beautiful gardens. These gardens make the building look even more impressive.

Culture and Recipes

The Mendoza sisters, María and Concha, loved to host parties at the mansion. Many important people from Pontevedra and famous visitors to the city would attend these gatherings.

For many years, the Mendoza sisters collected recipes. They asked their guests for recipes, found them on their travels, or received them from friends. They created a unique and valuable collection of recipes from all over the world for their parties. These recipes were later published in a book in late 2021. The book is called Las 1001 recetas del palacete de las Mendoza (The 1001 Recipes of the Mendoza Mansion).