El Rancho de las Golondrinas (The Ranch of the Swallows), a Spanish Colonial living history museum located in La Cienega, just south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has enchanted and educated visitors with its natural beauty, annual festivals, and special events since its establishment as a museum in 1972. Drawing from archival materials, contemporary research, and family records, Padilla reconstructs the early history of Las Golondrinas from its beginnings to its purchase by the Curtin family and its establishment by the Curtin-Paloheimo family as a museum dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Spanish Colonial New Mexico.