Historic Significance

The 19th century Hacienda de Santa Cruz was established by a German immigrant Don Arnoldo Vogel as a successful coffee producer. Construction of the main house, or Casa Grande, began in 1879 and was completed in 1890. In 1904, a magnificent arched aqueduct was constructed using black volcanic stone to provide water for use in the main house as well as to operate the generator, which provided power to the ranch machinery. In the late 1970’s, Don Antenor Patiño bought the hacienda and brought the Mexican architect Mauricio Romano to begin to renovate the decrepit HaciendaA decade later, British financer & tycoon Sir James Goldsmith acquired the hacienda

To start the project Sir James, brought French designer Robert Couturier to offer a classical European perspective to the on-going Hacienda restoration.

  Couturier added a second story part to the property, built the monumental staircase, demolished the small rooms once used for storing sugar cane machinery and built a living room and dining room around the main courtyard.  Sir  James asked his daughter Alix Marcaccini and interior designer Armand Aubery to decorate the hacienda, balancing the spirit and tradition of a  Grand Mexican Hacienda manor house, the soul of a family home.  Sir James’s family house first opened as a hotel in 2000