Few roads evoke such romantic images of the American Southwest as the El Camino Real. The historic route linking Mexico City and Santa Fe is one of the oldest thoroughfares in the United States. Since the 16th Century explorers, soldiers, adventurers, and farmers have traveled this route seeking gold, land, and happiness. Into the 20th Century it continued to serve as a main highway by its designation as U.S. Route 66; making Albuquerque the transportation hub of New Mexico and of the entire Southwest. Hacienda Vargas is the only bed and breakfast New Mexico Inn along the historic El Camino Real. Nestled in the Rio Grande Valley in the village of Algodones, the Inn continues to greet travelers and pilgrims in need of New Mexico and Route 66 lodging the same as it has since the 17th Century. Algodones was originally founded as a military garrison to provide protection for the merchant wagon trains traveling between Santa Fe and Chihuahua, Mexico and as late as the 19th Century it was the site of a military supply depot and occupied by General Kearney and the Army of the West in 1846. The sights, sounds, and scents of New Mexico are to be found at Hacienda Vargas Bed and Breakfast Inn. For example, in the past the site was used both as a stagecoach stop and a train station. Today, the sound of the passing train establishes a unique and special link to the 19th Century. Our Inn is truly a unique experience among bed and breakfast hotels close to Santa Fe New Mexico. |