In the south of Tamaulipas, one hour from Ciudad Victoria, it is located in one of the most important orange regions of Mexico.
Today the Casa Grande, as the town is called, has become a hotel with many attractions. The history of the ranches in the area is very special. All of them specialized in their origins in the cultivation of corn, henequen and citrus. In 1932, Emilio Portes Gil being president of Mexico, the agrarian distribution began, and in the case of the Hacienda de Santa Engracia, the helmet was in the hands of José Martínez Gómez and his mother, who, having remained in it during the Revolution, they managed to save it from the siege of the insurgents.
From farm to hotel
It all began in 1940, when José Martínez Gómez, who had studied in the United States, frequently invited his friends to visit the hacienda. He had great success, because being handsome and a true Mexican charro, his parties were famous in Tamaulipas, for their horse races, cock fights, huapangueros music and those unforgettable meals with recipes of typical dishes of the region. It also has a dam, which gives it an additional charm, because given its proximity to the mountains, it is reflected in its waters and the sunsets are true scenes of color. The gardens are mainly the orange and avocado orchards.
Life in the Casa Grande is full of atmosphere. At night, guests gather at the El Cadillo bar to party, sing, play cards, dominoes, and savor the “vampires”, the house specialty. The Generations Dining Room is notable for its large ebony table flanked by stately pictures of the ancestors. At the helm of the kitchen is doña Juanita, granddaughter of doña Hilaria, Uncle Pepe's cook for 50 years. Passed from generation to generation, the secret recipes of the hacienda have been kept.
Everyone takes their path ...
All the descendants of that first José Martínez scattered throughout the Republic, mainly in Ciudad Victoria, Federal District, Monterrey and San Luis Potosí, gather to celebrate Christmas and the end of the year in Santa Engracia, having to close their doors to tourism to house the family.
Every December, we leave Mexico City early, we make a stop in Querétaro, where we pick up my first-born and his large family, we pass through San Luis Potosí and the great desert plain that leads to Saltillo, then the road deviates turn right in Huizache, the road that leads to Tampico, but when you reach a sign that says for Tula and Jaumave, you turn left and from there everyone in the car began to sing:
Going from Tula to Jaumave
I ran into a rancher.
He was in his retinal cuaco
all dressed in leather.
I asked him where he was going
and being lazy:
"I'm going to Victoria," he told me,
to give my love a spin. '
From Victoria, following the highway to Monterrey, and just 30 minutes, you turn left, where the train station to Tampico is, and 20 more minutes, by paved road, you arrive at the Hacienda de Santa Engracia, where always frozen orange juices await us, and all travelers.
Santa Engracia Farm
Interejidal Highway Km. 33
Eg Benito Juárez, Mpio. of Hidalgo, Tamaulipas.
Telephone: 01 (52) (835) 337 1658.
5 Essentials
• Take the road to the mountains to the Guano cave, where there is a large cliff to rappel and bathe in a pool of clear water.
• Look for the source of the Santa Engracia and Purificación rivers.
• Take a boat ride through the Santa Engracia Dam at sunset.
• Drink at least one frozen orange juice daily.
• Horseback riding in the surroundings.
