A hacienda with a silver-lined history, 
March 16, 2007, By Christine Foster

Celebration of Mexican wines A benefit for Proyecto Pueblito Sat, Mar 24, 6pm Hacienda Las Trancas 350 pesos Tickets at Plaza Principal 18 154 8425  www.mexhacienda.com

Father Hidalgo slept here. Pancho Villa slept here. Now astonished visitors sleep here, too, at this huge, stunning, and imaginatively restored hacienda. Just north of Dolores Hidalgo, Hacienda San Joaquin de las Trancas is sought out for weddings, family reunions, or for just exploring and experiencing traditional Mexican village life. And now it provides the luxurious backdrop to a special event to introduce sanmiguelenses to Mexican wines. (see sidebar)

Las Trancas began life in the 1560’s as a presidio on the silver trail, part of the series of garrisoned forts that provided nightly protection to the wagons and mule trains hauling ingots down from mountain mines across the Bajio to ports where the treasure was shipped on to Spain. One of the most intriguing stories from that time involves the master of the fort plotting with the captain of a huge caravan to hijack the silver as it entered the gates. Later, the conspirators were caught and executed on the hacienda grounds, but the silver had already been smuggled into hiding, and was never found. A treasure map exists, signed in blood, and although many have tried (and dug their fair share of holes trying) no one has been able to decipher it quite correctly.

At the height of its glory, Las Trancas was an estate of nearly one million acres. Cattle, horses, intrigue, power struggles and betrayal were its stock in trade. During the revolution of 1810 the property was part of Father Miguel Hidalgo’s parish and he was a frequent guest and amassed and hid a secret cache of weapons there, with the knowledge and consent of San Miguel’s Count Canal, the owner of the hacienda.

During the 1910 revolution, when most of the great haciendas were being looted and burned to the ground, Las Trancas escaped by throwing its doors open to Pancho Villa and allowing him to headquarter there while fighting a battle in nearby Dolores Hidalgo. Its lucky preservation has left Mexico with a rare and astounding piece of history and architecture. The adobe walls are more than 3 feet thick, and dozens of rooms are built with massive barrel vaulted ceilings. 

But when the present owners bought it in 2003, it was a sad and empty shell, stripped of everything but shadows, parched ground, and echoing footsteps. 

Like many North Americans Kelley and Stephen Wilkinson were getting tired of cold winters, and were thinking of Mexico as a retirement destination. They were also looking for some sort of a challenge, some absorbing project. Unlike many North Americans, they decided to Google: “Hacienda for Sale.”


Kelley Wilkinson: I’m passionate about architecture. And history. From the first visit I could see the potential. The bones were good, the structure was solid. We couldn’t resist it. We couldn’t afford it, either, but the owner agreed to carry the mortgage and we struck a deal. 

Christine Foster: But you weren’t ready to move here full time, you had teenagers, you’re an artist, Stephen’s an emergency room physician…

KW: The first summer we could only come for a month with some friends. In fact it was one of my daughter’s friends who walked in and said, “Wow, this would make an awesome vacation rental!” We knew we didn’t want to run a hotel or a restaurant, but a rental, well, that might make sense. 

CF: But fifty bare rooms full of peeling plaster and dust, and you didn’t speak Spanish…

KW: I learned! Luckily Trancas is also a village of about 100 families. Their ancestors had always been employed by the Hacienda but, sadly, the town was dwindling year by year, with many of the men heading to the States to look for work. In February of 2005, when I built the website, I said we would have five rooms to rent in June. At that point we had barely two. Then someone sent a deposit for Christmas and we employed dozens of townspeople: cleaning, plastering, painting, doing ironwork, glazing, sewing, cooking, even making furniture. Many of the local men discovered they had a talent for some particular kind of renovation and have since become permanent employees or maestros on their own. On the day we opened, our first guests were literally coming in the front door at the same instant 35 workmen were scurrying out the back, after a 24 hour marathon!

CF: What’s the most rewarding part of this whole experience, for you?

KW: Being an ambassador, I think. The people of Mexico are hungry for information about Americans and their way of life, and many visiting Americans have often never been anywhere but Acapulco or Cancún. Here they get a chance to meet the real people, the families of men they may see working up north. Our guests’ children play soccer with the local kids, explore, ride horses and mountain bikes, and best of all for their parents, they can run free and safe in the country. Many of the kids don’t want to leave. Our visitors return home not only having fallen in love with Mexico, but with its people.

CF: And the local people are able to hold on to more of their own culture because you’ve opened employment opportunities for them. That must feel good, too.

KW: We were up for an award last year, for historical renovation, and I took all 13 permanent staff members to the Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato where the Governor was speaking. They sat there completely amazed, and proud, as slides of Las Trancas were flashed up on the screen. They’d always thought that “new” and “modern” were best. Suddenly they could see how restoring something from their own history was saving part of who they are. We didn’t win, but now they tell me, “Next year, Señora!” They love it. So do we.


The Wilkinsons’ work continues not only in the Hacienda itself, but with Proyecto Pueblito (The Village Project) which, in collaboration with other professionals and a committee of respected villagers, is their initiative to help build roads, a public garden, a free medical clinic, a library, and to create sustainable jobs for residents. Ideas include a vineyard, a restaurant, honey production, perhaps even helping create a local Trancas talavera. Their main goal is to encourage the next generation to stay in the country and to carry on cultural traditions that are being lost in the face of progress. Fifty percent of the rental of Hacienda Las Trancas goes directly to this fund.


Celebrating Mexican wines, hacienda-style

The hacienda doors will be flung wide and the gardens and terraces will be filled with tables displaying a sensational selection of excellent wines from the boutique wineries of Valle Guadalupe in Northern Baja.

Labels such as Adobe Guadalupe, Piedras Negras, Valmar, J C Bravo, Baron Balche, Vinisterra, and more will be represented. These international award-winning wines sell out every year to the finer restaurants and hotels in the coastal tourist areas, as well as being snapped up eagerly by connoisseurs in Mexico City. 

Through this extraordinary wine tasting event, owners Stephen and Kelley Wilkinsons hope to encourage these growers to make their wines available in our area, as well. Through a collaboration of the states of Guanajuato and Baja Califorina, Norte, many of the owners of the wineries will be there in person. This is a unique opportunity to meet these fabulous winemakers, taste their amazing wines, and see behind the doors of the stunning Hacienda Las Trancas.

The mayor of Ensenada will also be on hand to provide information about his lovely town and is accompanied by Ensenada’s very own world-class Jazz Ensemble, (who played at ex-President Fox’s daughter’s wedding) along with offerings from three renowned chefs specializing in fabulous Baja cuisine. 

What could make for a more delightful evening, a history-drenched setting, great food, jazz and many, many different wines to sip and savor under the stars? And all proceeds benefit Proyecto Pueblito, to bring fresh water to houses, construct bathrooms and provide care for the indigent elderly and single mothers. 

Tickets are on sale at Plaza Principal 18, phone 154 8425, visit the website www.mexhacienda.com  or email kelley@haciendalastrancas.com.