If there’s one thing I enjoy doing more than anything else in Mexico, it’s venturing out somewhere I’ve never been to see something I’ve never seen before, preferably something really OLD…dating to or preceding the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico. And if it’s someplace REALLY special that hardly anybody else (citizen or visitor) has seen, then that moves right to the top of my list. So when my partner asked me if I wanted to come along on a weekend work trip to an old Spanish hacienda called Zotoluca in Apan, Hidalgo, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Our trip was part of a fundraising event supported by multiple national and international brands to raise funds for schools for blind children in Mexico. My partner is the national brand manager of a Mexican furniture company that took over a large space on the ground floor of the barn-turned-events-center adjacent to the banquet room. The particular style of furniture sold by his company lent itself uniquely to the space creating a wonderland of design sophistication inside the exposed brick and timber barn-turned-events-center. Over the course of the weekend, we had the pleasure of mingling with amazing artists and artisans promoting their products as well as making new friendships and business contacts.

There is little information available online about the history of Hacienda Zotoluca, but what I can tell you from my own experience is that it’s a beautiful old hacienda originally built in 1570, recently restored to become a boutique resort hotel. In 2019, it was the winner of an Architectural Digest Iconos del Diseño Award in the category of Restoration Architecture. Indeed, the hacienda has been fully restored with attention to historical details from its beautiful courtyard, spacious interior rooms, stunning private chapel and bell tower, an outdoor restaurant in addition to an indoor banquet room, a massive barn-turned-events-space, a stained-glass night club space, modern restrooms, a large vegetable garden, and additional luxury rooms being built around a central plaza outside the main hacienda. It is about 2 hours northeast of Mexico City, an hour south of Pachuca, Hidalgo, or 30 minutes from Tlaxcala. The property itself is situated high on an hill overlooking a wide agricultural valley with views of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl to the west. It is protected by a centuries-old high stone wall with armed security at various gates around the property, as is common in Mexico. This all creates an environment of peace and quiet for you to relax, take in the amazing views, and breathe the clean mountain air.

The following information is sourced from the website of Hacienda Zotoluca:

Zotoluca is a Nahuatl word which means place where palms or zotoles abound.

The Hacienda was ordered to be built in the year 1570 by Viceroy Don Luis de Velazco y Alarcón, to whom was granted a royal warrant. Upon his death it was inherited by his son, also Viceroy of New Spain, Don Luis de Velazco y Castilla who used La Hacienda Zotoluca to settle debts due to a General Aljaréz.

In 1670 General Aljaréz, owner of Haciendas San Antonio Tochac, San Lorenzo and Zotoluca, died without having heirs. When reading his will, they realized that he left all his inheritance to the clergy, so the property passed into the hands of the Convent of the Assumption of Apan until the property was lost in the 18th century as a result of the Mexican Secularization Act of 1833, which was passed twelve years after Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821.

The architecture of the main house consists of two stages. The main house has a 17th century Colonial style, while the side and rear part has a neo-Gothic style, designed by the famous Architect Don Antonio Rivas Mercado, who in turn remodeled several other haciendas in the area such as San Bartolomé del Monte, and San Antonio Ometusco. His masterpiece is no less than the iconic national Monument of the Angel of Independence located on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City! In a tribute to the history of the site, Rivas Mercado paid homage to Pulque de Zotoluca by designing an octagonal tinacal in the Mudejar style, unique in its kind.

Overall, we had a really great weekend at Hacienda Zotoluca, and would recommend it as an amazing place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City or other cities in central Mexico. It would be an especially amazing place to hold a wedding or other types of large family celebrations as there are few places so luxurious so removed from the problems of modern life. At Zotoluca, you’ll enjoy a peaceful escape to an agricultural area in the state of Hidalgo that remains largely unaltered by humanity. We’ve already heard that the event we attended will be held again this year. While last year the hotel was not yet available to accommodate guests, this year we are hopeful to be able to stay at the Hacienda in one of the new luxury rooms recently constructed on the property.

• artisans
• artists
• hacienda
• hidalgo
• history
• méxico
• road trip
• zotoluca