San Ángel Inn
Encyclopedia
San Angel Inn is an old Carmelite monastery
which was turned into a well-known restaurant. It is located to the southwest of Mexico City
, in the historic neighborhood of San Ángel
in the borough of Álvaro Obregón
. It is famous for its international cuisine, variety of dishes, its Mexican-colonial architecture and interior decorations, and its spacious gardens and fountains. In the old Hacienda Goicoechea, viceroys, their consorts, and the aristocracy would relax and take a break in New Spain
’s capital.
to the Counts of Pinillas and the Marquis of Sierra Nevada.
The hacienda was acquired by Ramón Goicoechea in 1776, who integrated the property to his own hacienda
. This is the origin of the Hacienda’s name.
One of its other proprietors was don Francisco Manuel Sánchez de Tagle (1782-1847) a poet and a politician, descendant of the Marquis of Altamira. At the end of the Viceroyal reign, he sympathized with the independence movement, and when Mexico
became a Republic
, he became a Senator. He was an excellent diplomatist, and kept good relations with the first Spanish ambassador in Mexico, Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano
and his wife Fanny Cálderon de la Barca, who wrote "Life in Mexico, During a Residence Of Two Years In That Country” (La Vida en México, Durante Una Residencia de Dos Años en este País) during her stay there.
Another novelist that wrote about the Hacienda Goicoechea was the celebrated poet José Zorrilla y Moral
(Don Juan Tenorio
’s author), who during his stay in Mexico City (1859) wrote in his book Recuerdos de mi Vida about the hacienda’s beautiful patios and its “dozen orange trees that refreshed the atmosphere in a florentine marble fountain.”
The same fountain described by José Zorrilla y Moral served as a place where Pancho Villa
and Emiliano Zapata
’s horses drank water, while waiting for their masters to finish dividing the country’s territory into North (Villa) and South (Zapata), during their triumphant arrival to the nation’s capital with the Conventionalist Army in 1914.
Later on, the old Hacienda Goicoechea became a pulque factory of approximately 400 hectares, and around 1906, it was acquired by the San Angel Land Co. that created a housing development called Altavista
. The main building or house became a famous hotel and restaurant named San Angel Inn, operated by a French woman called Madame Roux. Many famous characters from that time visited the restaurant, its gardens, and its ballroom.
In 1937, the National Institute for History and Arts (INHA) declared the property a Colonial monument. Between 1955 and 1966, the Universidad Iberoamericana
gave art and architectural courses in the facility.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
which was turned into a well-known restaurant. It is located to the southwest of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, in the historic neighborhood of San Ángel
San Ángel
San Ángel is a colonia or neighborhood of Mexico City, located in the southwest in Álvaro Óbregon borough. Historically, it was a rural community, called Tenanitla in the pre Hispanic period. Its current name is derived from the El Carmen monastery school called San Ángel Mártir...
in the borough of Álvaro Obregón
Álvaro Obregón
General Álvaro Obregón Salido was the President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924. He was assassinated in 1928, shortly after winning election to another presidential term....
. It is famous for its international cuisine, variety of dishes, its Mexican-colonial architecture and interior decorations, and its spacious gardens and fountains. In the old Hacienda Goicoechea, viceroys, their consorts, and the aristocracy would relax and take a break in New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
’s capital.
History
The construction of the Hacienda Goicochea (currently San Ángel Inn) dates back to the 17th century (1692). It was initially built by the Carmelites, for the purpose of becoming a monastery, but official records show that the concession was granted by Carlos IIICarlos III
Carlos III may refer to:*Charles III of Spain, King of Spain from 1759 to 1788.*Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, a Spanish university bearing his name....
to the Counts of Pinillas and the Marquis of Sierra Nevada.
The hacienda was acquired by Ramón Goicoechea in 1776, who integrated the property to his own hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
. This is the origin of the Hacienda’s name.
One of its other proprietors was don Francisco Manuel Sánchez de Tagle (1782-1847) a poet and a politician, descendant of the Marquis of Altamira. At the end of the Viceroyal reign, he sympathized with the independence movement, and when Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
became a Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, he became a Senator. He was an excellent diplomatist, and kept good relations with the first Spanish ambassador in Mexico, Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano
Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano
Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano was a Spanish nobleman and politician who served as Minister of State between 1853 and 1854. He was a correspondent of William H...
and his wife Fanny Cálderon de la Barca, who wrote "Life in Mexico, During a Residence Of Two Years In That Country” (La Vida en México, Durante Una Residencia de Dos Años en este País) during her stay there.
Another novelist that wrote about the Hacienda Goicoechea was the celebrated poet José Zorrilla y Moral
José Zorrilla y Moral
José Zorrilla y Moral , was a Spanish Romantic poet and dramatist.He was born in Valladolid to a magistrate in whom Ferdinand VII placed special confidence,...
(Don Juan Tenorio
Don Juan Tenorio
Don Juan Tenorio: Drama religioso-fantástico en dos partes , is a play written in 1844 by José Zorrilla. It is the more romantic of the two principal Spanish-language literary interpretations of the myth of Don Juan...
’s author), who during his stay in Mexico City (1859) wrote in his book Recuerdos de mi Vida about the hacienda’s beautiful patios and its “dozen orange trees that refreshed the atmosphere in a florentine marble fountain.”
The same fountain described by José Zorrilla y Moral served as a place where Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
and Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910, and which was initially directed against the president Porfirio Díaz. He formed and commanded an important revolutionary force, the Liberation Army of the South, during the Mexican Revolution...
’s horses drank water, while waiting for their masters to finish dividing the country’s territory into North (Villa) and South (Zapata), during their triumphant arrival to the nation’s capital with the Conventionalist Army in 1914.
Later on, the old Hacienda Goicoechea became a pulque factory of approximately 400 hectares, and around 1906, it was acquired by the San Angel Land Co. that created a housing development called Altavista
AltaVista
AltaVista is a web search engine owned by Yahoo!. AltaVista was once one of the most popular search engines but its popularity declined with the rise of Google...
. The main building or house became a famous hotel and restaurant named San Angel Inn, operated by a French woman called Madame Roux. Many famous characters from that time visited the restaurant, its gardens, and its ballroom.
In 1937, the National Institute for History and Arts (INHA) declared the property a Colonial monument. Between 1955 and 1966, the Universidad Iberoamericana
Universidad Iberoamericana
The Ibero-American University is a Mexican private institution of higher education sponsored by the Society of Jesus...
gave art and architectural courses in the facility.