History

About the Gutiérrez Hubbell Property

The Gutiérrez Hubbell House is a 5,700 square foot adobe structure that dates back to the 1860’s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house sits on a ten-acre parcel of land encompassing a traditional garden and a heritage garden as well as walking trails along the acequia madre (mother ditch) and around the property, and cultivated farm plots.

Situated along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the oldest continuously used European roadway in North America, the Gutiérrez Hubbell House was once a private residence, mercantile, trading post, stagecoach stop and post office. Today, the Gutiérrez Hubbell House History and Cultural Center serves as a community gathering place and education center as well as to maintain open spaces, protect wildlife habitat, and teach agricultural heritage.

Prominent in the local and regional history, the Hubbell Property serves as the centerpiece of the Pajarito community and is a natural focal point for community building and area pride. Recorded history of the land dates back to its purchase in 1733 by Josefa Baca and maintained since within the Baca, Chavez, Gutiérrez, and Hubbell families.

The property was purchased in 2000 by Bernalillo County and is managed as a Bernalillo County Open Space.

Curated as museum, the Gutiérrez Hubbell House symbolizes the mixing of Spanish, Anglo, and Native American traditions & cultures during the Territorial Period, 1848-1912. It was the home of Juliana Gutiérrez, descendant of some of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Pajarito and New Mexico, after her marriage to James Lawrence “Santiago” Hubbell, a Connecticut Yankee who came west to seek his fortune.

The couple had 12 children, all of whom were born in the Gutiérrez Hubbell House. Juan “Lorenzo” Hubbell was the second son and third born of James and Juliana. Like his father, Lorenzo became a merchant and trader with Native artists and craftspeople and established the Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona, which today is a historic site managed by the National Park Service. Other children became prominent citizens in Albuquerque and New Mexico. The final inhabitant of the Gutiérrez Hubbell House was Louisa Hubbell who died in 1996.

Please explore the rest of this website to learn how you can learn more and can help preserve this historic landmark.