Museum History - El Rancho de las Golondrinas

El Rancho de las Golondrinas is a living history museum located on 200 acres in THE rural farming valley of La Cienega, just south of Santa Fe. The Museum, dedicated to the history, heritage and culture of 18th and 19th century New Mexico, contains original colonial buildings dating from the early 1700s. In addition, historic buildings from other parts of northern New Mexico have been reconstructed at Las Golondrinas. Villagers clothed in the styles of the times show how life was lived on the frontier in early New Mexico. Special festivals and weekend events offer visitors an in-depth look into the celebrations, music, dance and many other aspects of life in the Spanish, Mexican and Territorial periods of the Southwest.

Master Gardener Involvement

Santa Fe Master Gardeners played a role at Las Golondrinas in the early 2000’s, working in the Lavender Garden, one of the Apple Orchards (pruning, grafting, and using pheromone traps to combat codling moth worm infestations), plus maintenance of the entry garden areas. After several years, our involvement has been renewed with a long-term project initiated in 2018, initially centered on the garden areas of Sierra Village. This includes cleanup and maintenance of its Herb Garden, containing herbs, medicinal and dye plants typical of home gardens in rural Northern New Mexico between 1850 and 1910. In addition, Master Gardener volunteers have germinated seedlings in Las Golondrinas’ cold frame and are maintaining a small vineyard with heritage grapes and the nearby “Three Sisters” planting of heirloom corns, beans, and squashes, consistent with agricultural techniques and practices of that time period.

Future Projects

Future on-site project components are expected to include Ask A Master Gardener (AAMG) information tables at key events, learning opportunities in other agricultural areas of Las Golondrinas, hands-on projects involving renovation of gardens inside the main entrance, plus growing other historical food crops using traditional techniques.