Ex Hacienda de San Carlos

Hacienda San Carlos Borromeo, also called Ex Hacienda de San Carlos, stands in the Los Arcos area of the municipality of Yautepec, about 500 metres from the aqueduct arches that give that neighbourhood its name. The arches have a page of their own; this one is about the house.

Its written history starts in 1608, when the Indigenous nobleman Alejo de la Cruz sold a plot of land in the jurisdiction of Yautepec, according to Gisela von Wobeser's study of the San Carlos Borromeo hacienda between 1608 and 1729, published by UNAM's Institute of Historical Research. Tourism pieces place the buildings in the 17th century and point to the stonework and aged finishes.

Today the estate is rented out for weddings, quinceañeras, baptisms and corporate events. A Food and Pleasure article describes three salons, two gardens, a chapel for 100 people and 14 equipped guest rooms. It is, then, a private venue: there is no published visiting schedule, and you normally enter with a booking or for an event. It was also advertised for sale on a property portal, so its use may change.

From the street and the surroundings, what you mostly see is the aqueduct. A truck once hit the arches and INAH inspected them, a sign of how fragile the complex is.