El Rancho de las Golondrinas was purchased by Miguel
Vega y Coca about 1910. He operated it as a ranch and as a paraje
or stopping place on the El Camino Real--the Royal Road from
Mexico City through Chihuahua to Old Santa Fe. It's one of the most
historic ranches in the southwest. His family intermarried with the Bacas
and the property was subsequently passed to their descendants.
In old diaries and reports, "el paraje de las Golondrinas"
is often mentioned. It became the last encampment before reaching Santa
Fe--end of the long journey on horseback or carretas from far away
Mexico City. Juan Bautista de Anza, Governor of New Mexico in 1778,
searching for a direct route to Arizpe, Sonora, Mexico, spent the night
here with his 151-man expedition.