Zacatecana’s House: Suspense, opulence, treason and intrigues in one place

The existence of stories that originated many centuries ago is a common element in Mexican culture. The tale of The Zacatecana (Zacatecan woman) is an example.

In Querétaro city, there is a small white mansion with a simple facade adorned by balconies. That place is the 'Zacatecana’s House’ (in Spanish, Casa de la Zacatecana). Each space shows how was life during the colonial times (New Spain), with elements like the courtyard with arches. The areas such as the dining room were recreated and decorated with objects of European and Asian origin.

The website ‘Mexican Cities World Heritage’ (Ciudades Mexicanas Patrimonio Mundial) wrote: “The Casa de la Zacatecana Museum is housed in a 17th-century mansion and displays a collection of decorative art including porcelain, glassware, furniture, sacred art, painting, sculpture, among other items ranging from the viceregal period to the early 20th century”.

But the place is clouded with a story. The tradition indicates that a couple from Zacatecas arrived and settled in the house, for this reason, the landlady was nicknamed ‘Zacatecana’. The husband travelled constantly because he was a rich miner and his wife spent a lot of time alone.

The situation caused problems for the couple. The loneliness led the noblewoman to have a lover. However, she had her husband murdered and finally took the life of her lover or the person responsible for the crime. Two skeletons in the courtyard correspond to the mentioned men. The mystery was that one morning, the dame lay lifeless in her room and it is believed that someone took revenge, so some thought that the house was cursed.
 

Antonio Origel Aguayo, the founder. The sir came from Guanajuato and collected antique objects since he was 14 years old, but in the 1990s he acquired the house and died in 1998 before the house opened its doors as a cultural space.

“Affirming that the legend is true is difficult because it seems to have been passed down from generation to generation. The interesting thing is that here in the museum, we have found some documents and archives that date from 1808-1809, and in those years they already refer to this mansion as the Zacatecana’s house”; explained Jesús Trejo, Historian and guide of the Museum in interview.

Visitors comment that the atmosphere of the place is charged by the hatred of the murdered woman and by an air of doubt, as some elements suggest that part of the narration is true.

At the moment, the people are surprised by the story of betrayal that the walls protect and by the vast collection that connects different eras.

Pedro López Hernández