Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New Mexico Santa Fe El Rancho de Las Golondrinas
AO Edited

El Rancho de Las Golondrinas

Step back in time at an outdoor living history museum where New Mexico's cultural traditions come alive.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Added By
Barbara Woolsey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The living history museum El Rancho de Las Golondrinas.   Courtesy of El Rancho de Las Golondrinas
Artisan traditions are historically reenacted.   Courtesy of El Rancho de Las Golondrinas
Outdoor exhibition at Las Golondrinas.   Courtesy of El Rancho de Las Golondrinas
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Once a fortified residence, now a living history museum, El Rancho de Las Golondrinas (“Ranch of the Swallows”) offers hands-on insights into life during New Mexico’s Spanish, Mexican, and Territory periods. 

Here, in a rural farming valley just south of Santa Fe, the historic 18th-century ranch is almost as old as New Mexico itself, but keeps up a modern legacy. This 200-acre site continues to be a working ranch while also offering interactive experiences that delve into the region’s past.

Historically, Las Golondrinas, as it’s called for short, was a crucial stop along the Camino Real (“Royal Road”) connecting Mexico City to Santa Fe. Thanks to its strategic valley location, the ranch was known as a parejo (camping stop) where caravans could rest, refuel, trade goods, and resupply. 

The museum's 30 rust-colored historic buildings seemingly rise out as one with the landscape. They’re made of adobe (sun-dried mud bricks mixed with straw or other materials), some dating back to the early 1700s, and include Spanish Colonial heritage structures such as placitas (a kind of courtyard-centered home once common in the American Southwest) and log cabins.

Here, a crop of diverse historical reenactors—blacksmiths, bakers, and molasses millers hard at work—offer a rare glimpse into the lives of 18th- and 19th-century travelers. Docents wear period attire to demonstrate the bygone handiwork of loom weaving to making bread in traditional ornos (outdoor clay and mud ovens). They offer visitors the chance to pitch in, taste, touch, and try doing everything for themselves.

Further hands-on activities include digging for artifacts, grinding corn, tin stamping, and grain milling. Since the property is also a still-functioning ranch, farm animals including churro sheep, burros, and goats sprinkle the property’s gorgeous high desert landscape incorporating verdant orchards and vineyards.

Such heritage livestock and heirloom crops create the perfect setting for summer fairs and festivals. Check the website for a busy summer program hosting Santa Fe Spring Festival, Santa Fe Wine Festival, and Santa Fe Renaissance Faire among others.

Related Tags

Artifacts Museums Landscapes Deserts History History & Culture

Know Before You Go

Museum admission also includes access to walking trails around the 35-acre Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve. Leave some time to visit – the nature area is gorgeously vibrant year-round, but especially when the seasons are changing.

Community Contributors

Added By

barbarawoolsey

Edited By

traceywilson

  • traceywilson

Published

September 18, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://golondrinas.org/about/
  • https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/santa-fe/attractions/rancho-de-las-golondrinas/a/poi-sig/414062/362156
  • https://golondrinas.org/about/history/
  • https://10best.usatoday.com/destinations/new-mexico/santa-fe/airport-saf/attractions/el-rancho-de-las-golondrinas/
  • https://santafe.com/business_listing/el-rancho-de-las-golondrinas/
El Rancho de Las Golondrinas
334 Los Pinos Rd
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87507
United States
35.574688, -106.11183
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site

Santa Fe, New Mexico

miles away

The Harrell House Bug Museum

Santa Fe, New Mexico

miles away

Haiku Pathway

Santa Fe, New Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Santa Fe

Santa Fe

New Mexico

Places 23
Stories 2

Nearby Places

La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site

Santa Fe, New Mexico

miles away

The Harrell House Bug Museum

Santa Fe, New Mexico

miles away

Haiku Pathway

Santa Fe, New Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Santa Fe

Santa Fe

New Mexico

Places 23
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Saddles on display.

    Galveston, Texas

    Bryan Museum

    One of the largest historical collections on Texas and the American West.

  • The 7,000-square-foot Museo del Vaquero de las Californias explores more  than 300 years of vaquero history in the Californias.

    El Triunfo, Mexico

    Museo del Vaquero de Las Californias

    This bilingual museum explores the more than 300 years of vaquero history.

  • Savannah, Georgia

    WEBB Military Museum

    At this privately owned collection, conflicts are humanized through soldiers’ personal belongings.

    Sponsored by Visit Savannah
  • One of the galleries in the modern section of the Manchester Jewish Museum.

    Manchester, England

    Manchester Jewish Museum

    A Victorian synagogue-turned-museum chronicles centuries of Jewish life.

  • Interior of the historic roundhouse.

    Baltimore, Maryland

    The B&O Railroad Museum

    At the birthplace of American railroading, a world-class collection of historic trains.

    Sponsored by Visit Maryland
  • Portumna, Ireland

    Irish Workhouse Centre

    A well-preserved, 19th-century Irish workhouse recounts a grim time in the country’s history.

  • Antique printing equipment.

    Panama City, Florida

    Panama City Publishing Company Museum

    Discover old-fashioned printing through hands-on exhibitions and publishing artifacts.

  • Funeral home artifacts, “haunted” dolls, and weird medicine are just a few of the hundreds of items at the American Oddities Museum.

    Alton, Illinois

    American Oddities Museum

    A taxidermy “mermaid,” vampire-killing kits, and hundreds of other bizarre objects are housed at this quirky museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.