History of El Torreon Hacienda Written by Mario Cardenas the last family member to live at the 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.

The main house was built circa 1847 and was designed pretty much like a fort. It was an enclosed complex for the purpose of safeguarding the few animals owned and also from the Native American Indians who would often times raid the newcomers.

The torreon would serve as a fort for existing families as the raiders were unable to enter the structure. The defenders also had the advantage of posting many firearms around the building. It is believed that as the men fired their guns the women would heat lard and through the side openings pour the hot grease on the raiders.

No one may ever know how much blood was shed at or close to the torreon. Today it stands very silently. A person around and inside the structure can notice certain stillness and quiet no different from the peacefulness of a cemetery.

For quite a number of years the torreon served as a chicken coop - as a cozy "apartment" for the little creatures who could have no conception of the place once being a fort and where perhaps numberless lives perished.

Today the Torreon still stands. It is frequently plastered with mud that has plenty of straw. The straw keeps the plaster from cracking.

Let us hope that the torreon will never have anything to do with warfare. The main idea is that anyone viewing it sees it and remembers it only as a different structure-shaped like a bell and not as a fortified tower.

Yes,---the torreon still stands. Today it stands as a symbol of friendship and peace for all human beings.