SANTA FE – New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Secretary Stuart Ashman today announced the department will hold a fall open house at the historic Los Luceros property on Saturday, November 6. The open house is free and open to the public, and will feature tours, exhibits by New Mexico artisans and farmers, and music by New Mexico musicians.
“Los Luceros is a gem, and we at the state Department of Cultural Affairs encourage the public to come and take advantage of this open house to investigate and enjoy what is certainly one of our state’s most scenic and historically significant cultural properties,” said Ashman. Named to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1983, Los Luceros is a hacienda lying northeast of the town of Alcalde, New Mexico, just north of Española, on the Rio Grande. The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs purchased and operates the 148-acre property and is preserving its historic nature and integrity for the purpose of cultural, artistic, environmental, and educational activities, events, and outreach. The complex includes the magnificent 18th century, Territorial-style hacienda, a visitor’s center, director’s residence and gallery, 18th century chapel, original jail building, numerous farm buildings, apple orchards, irrigated pasture and bosque on the river. Historians believe that the Northern Rio Grande Valley that includes Los Luceros was inhabited as early as 3000 years ago.
The area was the site of the Phioge Pueblo, considered the “Mother Pueblo” by residents of nearby San Juan Pueblo. Other nearby pueblos also used the land that is now Los Luceros to find food and shelter, as well as for artistic and spiritual purposes. In 1598, the first Spanish Capital of New Mexico was established by Don Juan Oñate at San Gabriel, on the west side of the Rio Grande, just a few miles from Los Luceros, which was included in a Spanish land grant bestowed upon one of Onate’s soldiers. Since then Los Luceros and its structures have been many things, including the County Seat of Rio Arriba County, a courthouse, working ranch, private residence, and museum.
In addition to the famous people and families who have owned the property, such as Mary Cabot Wheelwright, Los Luceros has seen its share of celebrity visitors, including John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Georgia O’Keeffe, and composer Leonard Bernstein. The Department of Cultural Affairs recently commissioned and completed a master plan for the property that will serve as a blueprint as the state increasingly – and responsibly – opens up the ranch for more and more public benefit.
What: Open House at Historic Los Luceros
When: Saturday, November 6, 2010, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Directions to Los Luceros from Santa Fe (about a 45-minute drive – approx. 33 miles): From Santa Fe, head north on US-285 N/US-84 N to Española. Pass through Española on NM-68 (highway toward Taos) to Alcalde. After the Chevron Station (on your left) in Alcalde, you will see a sign (on the right-hand side) for Los Luceros. Take a left at the Los Luceros sign onto County Road 48. At the end of the road take a left and then a slight right onto a dirt road leading to the visitor’s parking lot.