Las Mañanitas
1800 Rio Grande Boulevard NW, Mid-19th Century, Architect Unknown

Las Mañanitas is a rare surviving mid-19th century adobe near the heart of the city. It has been remodeled over the years to accommodate its several owners, but evidence of its age is still readily apparent. The changes made by the many owners over the years are part of the reason it is a landmark. The varying roof heights, multiple patios, and rambling features of the house are extremely significant because they illustrate the history of the house through its owners.

Current residents of Duranes, the old farming community surrounding Las Mañanitas, remember their grandparents recalling that the building was a stagecoach stop on the road through the valley to Santa Fe, El Camino Real (including sections of Rio Grande Boulevard).

It also operated as a pool hall and a bar and there are tales of exuberant dances or bailes held in the large living room or sala. The Speronelli family owned the house and land at the turn of the century; they had a blacksmith shop and iron artifacts from the shop have been found on the property. Later owners added rooms, which were eventually joined together into a harmonious whole.

Despite changes to the house, many architectural features remain from its early days. A thick dirt roof lies beneath the standard tar and gravel roofing. The massive walls are made from terrones, sod blocks cut from marshes along the river. The depth of the walls is clearly seen in the low-set windows (some only a foot or so from the ground) with their deep reveals. Within the building, original round hand-adzed vigas (roof beams) support the sala roof, and corner fireplaces warm several of the rooms.