Historic Significance

The building was constructed in the 17th Century as the home of a famous and wealthy miner of that age. After the Mexican Revolution, this well known family abandoned the property to leave the country and it started to deteriorate seriously. The magic of Villa Santa Monica is due to the many stories and memories that are embedded in it.

In 1930, the ruins were bought by José Mojica, a famous open singer, movie actor and director of the post revolutionary era of Mexico. Jose Mojica used to invite his friends from the movie environment and artists such as Jorge Negrete, Dolores del Río, María Felix, Pedro Infante, Indio Fernandez, Jorge Navarro, Pedro Vargas, Agustin Lara, Pedro Armendaris, John Wayne, Gary Cooper and John Ford among many others. In fact there are some trees in the property that show plates with the names of those who planted them.

Mr. Mojica gave the property as a gift to his mother, he restored the property and his mother lived there until her death. This was a tragic event in Jose Mojica's life and he gave up his professional career and joined the Church in 1940. He distributed his estate, mainly to a religious order, and left for Cuzco, Perú, where he died.