Spanish Colonial

Constructed 1706. The focal point of community life since it was founded in 1706 by Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, the Old Town Plaza district encompasses about ten blocks of historic buildings. On the north side is the San Felipe de Neri Church, the oldest building in the city, which Read more…

Constructed 1912. The Baker Hotel was built in 1912 for $30,000 by a pioneer ranch family named Baker. The handsome brick building was reputedly designed by the famed El Paso architect Henry C. Trost. The first floor lobby contained expensive leather furniture and was the meeting place for weathered ranchers Read more…

Constructed 1875. Prior to moving to Corrales, Ward Alan and Shirley Jolly Minge began accumulating scarce Hispanic New Mexican artifacts that would have otherwise been lost. To accommodate their growing collection, the Minges, in 1952 sought out the perfect location for their new home. They found a venerable old adobe Read more…

Constructed 1928. The 460-seat El Morro Theater opened in 1928, featuring a Spanish Colonial Revival exterior. The El Morro was named for the famous El Morro rock cliff near Zuni Pueblo also called “Inscription Rock.” The theater was designed by the Boller Brothers architectural firm of Kansas, who designed over Read more…

Constructed 1870. La Loma Plaza was one of the first settlements in the Taos area, established in the 1870s by settlers of the Don Fernando de Taos land grant. This plaza was built as an enclosure of homes with common walls, creating a defensive style plaza for the inhabitants. Most Read more…

Constructed 1935. The land on the corner of Tin and Hemlock, was acquired in 1921 for $900. It was not until 1935, however, that the library building was constructed with funds provided by the Public Works Administration. Although the building was remodeled and enlarged throughout the years, the original architectural Read more…

Constructed 1937 Designed by John Gaw Meem and constructed by the WPA, Rogers Hall was completed in 1937 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The walls of the main staircase and the second floor foyer are covered with a mural, “The Dissemination of Education in New Mexico,” completed in 1937 Read more…

Constructed 1868. Little is recorded of Corrales during the first 150 years of Spanish occupation since it was not on the major trade routes along the river from Santa Fe; even as late as 1870 the census records only 141 households with 687 residents, nearly all were farmers, ranchers or Read more…

The Taos Plaza is the historic center of the town of Taos. Once a Spanish fortified walled plaza with houses and businesses, it now has a park with shady trees, park benches, and a gazebo surrounded by retail businesses made of adobe. An anchor of the plaza is the Hotel Read more…

Constructed 1850. The High Road to Taos departs Santa Fe and climbs through picturesque mountain valleys home to some of New Mexico’s oldest settlements. Proceed through Pojoaque, Nambe, Chimayo, Cordova, Truchas, Trampas, Penasco and Ranchos de Taos onto the arts center of Taos. Some of the state’s most spectacular scenery Read more…