November 1, 2008. Mexico. Hacienda

The home was built over two hundred years ago. I wonder what will be done with this lovely
home in the future. The home was built in the typical Spanish style, with a very large courtyard in the center with every room coming out from the courtyard. The first floor rooms are totally open to the courtyard and to each other, so the first floor traffic flow is always easy. Of course the ceiling are high, about twenty feet on the first floor and fifteen on the second, and the walls are very thick, made of hand made bricks covered with thick plaster, making the walls over two feet deep. Even with the heat of the day, the interior rooms were cool. This home is now lived in by one woman, so most of the rooms are closed. One room on the first floor is used as a bedroom, and all the other bedrooms are on the second floor, which has a balcony overlooking the courtyard. This is a large home and this is a beautiful home.

Nothing has changed. The locks on the doors are original, the doors are original, the windows are few and covered with iron grates, typical of the Spanish style. Many pieces of furniture seem to be very old. In total, there are three dining rooms. The first large room is furnished with very heavy furniture. The table seats twenty, with a buffet almost as long. The adjacent dining room seats twelve, with furniture to match, while the third room is more a breakfast room adjacent to the kitchen. The kitchens, of which there were two, are not modern by our standards, but they are both large. No dishwashers in sight. One of the living rooms was furnished with leather objects while the smaller of the two has just been set up with modern plush furniture, including a TV. Now this single lady lives in this very large home all by herself. Her daughter and her family built a house several hundred yards away, and the property manager lives and works at the head office the other side of the daughters home, so she is not alone.

Our driver took us to his friend yesterday. Her husband is deceased, but their families have been good friends for many generations. The husband's family owned a huge tract of land, from their home to the mountains, a distance of many miles. They ranched and farmed, and then as the population grew, they sold off some of the land just along the road, so now they are very rich, and they no longer ranch. They do lease the land for the production of fruit and vegetables. Now what is going to be done with this very beautiful old fashioned house? I loved seeing the house and meeting the lady of the house, who is called old but is younger than me. The driver did not even know about my association with houses, and there I was, opening all these huge doors to see what was behind them. It is my guess that the house is worth preserving, but a lot of money is needed to bring it up to modern standards, even tho the house seems to be in good structural shape. I hope they spend the money and I hope they invite me back to see the finished product. I like this house.