Hacienda Santa Ana Pacueco: Historic estate in the Bajio region

View of the hacienda's front arcade. This beautiful old structure was built during the first half of the 18th century, but the origin of the hacienda itself dates all the way back to the mid-16th century. I first noticed this place many years ago, when Carole and I were passing through the small city of La Piedad on our way to San Miguel de Allende. I got only a brief, tantalizing glimpse of it while we were caught up in a traffic snarl, but the image stuck with me. 

I wanted to check it out, but we had just disentangled ourselves from traffic and were eager to press on to our destination. Fourteen years later, while planning a trip to look for old haciendas in the state of Guanajuato, I recalled the mysterious structure and decided to include it in the adventure. Tracing my original route, I re-discovered the old casa grande you see above. Some on-line research provided me with the information I present in this posting.

How to find the hacienda. Head north on the Guadalajara-Chapala Carretera. A few miles past Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, turn right on Highway 35 toward Ocotlán. Pass through Ocotlán to the entrance of the 15D cuota (toll road), and head east toward Mexico City. Just past the second turnoff to La Barca, take the exit for Vista Hermosa. 

When taking this exit, you first pass through the caseta (toll booth) and, after a short distance, reverse direction at a retorno (turn-around). Stay to your left and follow the sign toward Yuricuaro on Highway 110. Heavy truck traffic between the Vista Hermosa exit and Yuricuaro (about 20km or 12.4mi) will slow you down, but this is the only tedious part of the route. Once you are well past Yuricuaro, look for an exit onto the 90D cuota, which branches off Highway 110 toward the left. 

90D bypasses La Piedad to the north toward Irapuato. After approximately 8 miles, turn right at the exit off 90D toward La Piedad. Follow this road until it dead-ends into Highway 110. Then, turn right and follow the highway about 1 mile until you see the casa grande and its attached capilla on your right. For a Google interactive map, click here.

Exterior views of the Casa Grande

Satellite view of the casa grande and its capilla (chapel). The front of the casa grande is on the right side of the photo, bordered by a street called Calle Manuel Doblado. The structures above follow an architectural pattern which can be found throughout Mexico. The casa grande is square in shape and has a long arcade along its front side, with a series of arches supported by a row of columns.

Within the square structure is a another square which forms a large, unroofed courtyard. The living spaces and bedrooms of the casa grande open onto the courtyard from the sides of the square. The Capilla de Santa Ana is attached to the left side of the casa grande (along the bottom of the photo). This placement is similar to that of the chapels I have found at many other haciendas.

During our short visit, we were unable to access the hacienda's interior and I could only photograph its exterior features. However, we did get to see the inside of the capilla, which is still used as a church. If we had had more time, we might have located someone with a key to the casa grande, but we had other sites to visit and had to move on. This site definitely deserves a return visit. 

Arcade along the front of the casa grande. The banners attached to the columns appear to be the remains of a recent fiesta. Hacienda Santa Ana Pacueco's history stretches from the mid-16th to the mid-19th centuries. Its origins date to 1554, when the governor of Nueva Galicia, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, granted 14 sitios de ganado mayor (cattle grazing land) to an early conquistador named Juan de Villaseñor y Orozco. This amounted to 61,446 acres and Villaseñor later obtained more from Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza. 

Villaseñor's descendants added even more to the estate. His daughter Maria Orozco married Captain Garcia de Contreras y Figueroa.  Their lands, when combined, became the core of a latifundia (collection of haciendas) that eventually became the largest in western Mexico. Over the next three hundred years, Santa Ana Pacueco alone grew to more than 100 sitios de ganado mayor (438,900 acres), extending into the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato. 

View of the interior of the front arcade. Beyond the arch at the far end, a cylindrical defensive bastion can be seen. The Villaseñor latifundia was later purchased by Marcos Garcia de Sotomayor, whose son Gabriel inherited it around the year 1631. Upon Gabriel's passing, his daughter Luisa de Castro acquired Santa Ana Pacueco. Her son, Captain Alonso de Estrada Altamirano, significantly increased the hacienda's size through more land purchases. 

In 1645, Captain Estrada bought 98 additional sitios to graze cattle and other livestock. In addition, he acquired 213 caballerias (land for growing corn and wheat), amounting to 22,578 acres. Santa Ana Pacueco was well-situated for its primary markets, which included Guadalajara to the west and the mining center of Guanajuato not far to the north. When the Captain died in 1696, he willed his property to his brothers. However, after a few years they decided to sell it. 

One of our party peeks through the door of the main entrance. My friend Jim B was trying to find a way in, but had no luck. Notice the Cross of Lorraine above the entrance. Similar two-barred crosses date back to the Crusades of the 11th century AD. They are often found in heraldic contexts and on coats-of-arms. This one may relate to the noble family who once owned the property and built the casa grande and its capilla.

In 1702, the Captain's brothers sold Santa Ana Pacueco to Pedro Sanchez de Tagle, a member of one of the richest and most powerful families in Nueva España. The Sanchez de Tagles had grown wealthy as merchants in Mexico City. From there, they expanded into mining and later into the ownership of several large haciendas. In 1710, Pedro Sanchez de Tagle bought the vast Hacienda Cuisillos, located to the west of Guadalajara. 

Corner bastion of the casco wall surrounding the casa grande. 

At many haciendas, bastions such as this guard the corners of walls surrounding the casa grande, capilla, stables, and other key structures. The wall and the structures inside were called the casco (helmet) because they contained the nerve center of the whole operation. The casco wall at this site can still be seen in the previous satellite photo.  

Notice the crenelations at the top and the gun slits on the sides. Bastions were defensive positions against native warriors, bandits, insurgents, and rogue military units during periods of unrest. Haciendas were juicy targets for raiders seeking food, horses, weapons, money and whatever else might be available, including women. Some cascos I have visited contained escape tunnels. At others, there are hollow walls where women and valuables could be hidden. 

Wall and buttresses of the bodega. The old bodega would have stored the hacienda's grain and other harvested crops. In the satellite photo, it stands across an alley called Calle Tarimoro from the casco. Notice the rough construction of the building. Generally, the best architectural features at a hacienda are found in its casa grande and capilla. At other sites I have visited, the bodega has been located within the casco, but in this case it stands just outside.

The Sanchez de Tagle family became so wealthy that they were able to provide loans to the Viceregal government to fund its army and fleet. In appreciation for this support, the King Philip V of Spain elevated Luis Sanchez de Tagle (1642-1710) to the rank of Marquess de Altamira in 1702. A marquess is just below a duke and above a count. Luis became the first of a long succession of Marquesses de Altamira. 

La Capilla

Facade of the Capilla de Santa Ana Pacueco. The capilla is attached to the left side of the casa grande. As is the case with many haciendas that were broken up after the Revolution, this capilla has become a church that serves the whole community.

The facade of the capilla displays several interesting architectural features. Two Crosses of Lorraine are placed just above the entrance and at the top of the campanario (bell tower). Two Neo-Classic pilasters (non-loadbearing pillars) frame the entrance. Other Neo-Classic features include four stone finials in the shape of vases, with two on either side of the campanario. 

When his uncle Luis died, Pedro Sanchez de Tagle became the 2nd Marquess de Altamira. Pedro is known as the "Father of Tequila" because he built Nueva España's first tequila factory at Hacienda Cuisillos. Since he had no male heir upon his death, his daughter Manuela became 3rd Marchioness (the female version). Her daughter, the 4th Marchioness Luisa Perez de Tagle, married Juan Rodriguez de Albuerne y Miranda in 1732. It was Luisa and Juan built the the casa grande and capilla we see today. 

Baroque-style decoration over the capilla entrance. Decorations in the Mexican Baroque style tend to cover every square inch of available space. This can clearly be seen in the floral decorations carved into the cantera stone arch and lintel above. This architectural tendency has sometimes been called el horror vacui (the fear of empty space). 

The Neo-Classic style was a reaction to Baroque and began to supplant it in the 18th century as colonial-era structures were repaired, upgraded or replaced. Thus, finding a mixture of these styles in structures from this period is not unusual. While Baroque can sometimes seem over-the-top, I generally find it more interesting and a lot more fun than Neo-Classic.
 

The campanario has three bells, each of a different size. I am happy to say that this old capilla does not have one of the loudspeakers which, all-too-often, are used to produce bell chimes. Instead, the sound of bells is produced the old-fashioned way, using pull-ropes. 

In addition to her title of Marchioness de Altamira, Luisa Sanchez de Tagle and her family benefited from titles and offices held by her husband, Don Juan Rodriguez. He was a judge in the Royal Courts of Mexico and Guadalajara, which gave him influence over the course of important lawsuits. As General Auditor of War and Knight of the Military Order of Santiago, he could profit from supplying the military with horses, mules, and supplies from his haciendas. 

As General Superintendent of Azogues, Don Juan controlled the sale of mercury to mine owners. Mercury is a chemical that was vital to the silver refining process. As Consultant to the Inquisition, he held great power over all of Nueva España's inhabitants. Finally, as a member of His Majesty's Council, he had access to the Crown. It was not unusual for wealthy men like Don Juan to hold multiple public, religious, and military offices which they often used for personal benefit.

Interior of the Capilla de Santa Ana Pacueco. There were several people praying in the nave when we visited, including one kneeling directly in front of the altar. By my quick estimate, this room could handle about one hundred people, which is large for the capilla of a typical hacienda. No doubt this reflects the wealth and power of the former owners. Services here would have brought together quite a number of family members, guests, and employees. 

A gold retablo stands against the wall behind the altar. A retablo is an architectural feature associated with the 17th-18th century Baroque style. These structures are often found behind altars. Retablos contain niches for religious paintings and statues, both of which appear above. The statue at the top is of Santa Ana (St. Anne). 

Retablos are often made from carved wood which is then gilded or painted gold, as seen above. The spiraling Solomonic  columns that frame the paintings are another Baroque feature. Legend has it that the Emperor Constantine visited the ruins of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem and brought back similar spiraling columns to decorate a church he was building.

A stone arch frames the entrance of the altar area. The floral decorations are another example of Baroque style. In the 19th century, ownership of Hacienda Santa Ana Pacueco passed from the Sanchez de Tagle family to others and the great latifundio was eventually broken up. 

One of the reasons for this was political. Following the conclusion of Mexico's War of Independence in 1821, the Mexican government passed a series of laws expelling Spaniards. When these took effect between 1827-34, it forced sale of the hacienda by owners who had retained their Spanish citizenship and thus had to leave. 

This concludes my posting on Hacienda Santa Ana Pacueco. I hope you enjoyed it and, if so, you will leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim