| Mario Cardenas's History of El Torreon Hacienda |
| The Valdez-Cardenas residence and property dates back to over one hundred and fifty years. The first structure on the premises was constructed around 1840 when descendants on the Cardenas side of the family arrived on burros (from Abiquiu) and built a small hut where the Catholic Chapel in El Prado now sits.... |
| About El Torreon Hacienda by Deborah Villalobos in HorseFly |
| For years the old hacienda rested out in a beautiful El Prado meadow, serving as host to ravens and magpies that descend from the gnarly branches of surrounding trees. This was the Valdez-Cardenas home and dates back 150 years.... |
| Article About Torreones written by Joe Fulton in 1953 |
| A sentinel high above Taos Valley on the divisadero releases a puff of smoke. In El Prado, Talpa, Ranchos and Taos the smoke is seen rising into the sky above Canon. Immediately word is passed from house to house and from form to form: "The Comanches are coming!" The people in the valley spring to life. Children are called in from play. Cattle, goats and sheep are brought in to the corrals or tethered in the willows out of sight. And then a trek begins to the torreon, or fortified tower.... |
| Article About El Torreon Hacienda in Taos News 2005 |
| "The success of El Torreon Hacienda is a story about El Prado's historic relevance," said Allyn Ransom. "Our purpose in the 'commercial' renovation of this magnificently built hacienda was to retain its family character and to honor its historic integrity." |
| Hacienda Facts |
| The property where the hacienda now sits was once a very large tract of
land, by some estimates 500 acres, given to the Valdez family by the
famous Father Padre Martinez who came from Abiquiu to bring a unique
style of Catholicism to the area. So unique that he was excommunicated
more or less. The deed is recorded in 1848. |
| Contractor's and Workers on the El Torreon Hacienda Restoration Project |
| Many different contractors took part in the restoration of El Torreon Hacienda. All those who took part in this work are listed, here, along with three flash animations. |
