The community of Ojo Caliente (oh-hoe-kahl-yee-en-tay) is just north of Espanola on Hwy 285 in a narrow valley nestled between carved sand cliffs on the east and Cerro Colorado on the west .  It is surrounded by Bureau of Land Management and state property making it a horse lover’s paradise.   Elevation is 6200 feet making the summers mild and winters cold.

In the southwestern corner of Taos County  this community,  like so many others in the arid lands of New Mexico,  gets life from water.   Rio Ojo Caliente runs through Ojo Caliente Land giving life to small irrigated plots and majestic cottonwoods that glow golden in the fall.  It has also been sustained for thousands of years by the life giving healing waters of the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs.  Ancestors of Native American Tewa tribes built pueblos and terraced gardens at  Posi “village at the place of green bubbling hot springs” in the 15^th century, which they considered a “gift of the gods”.    The Spaniards discovered the springs in the 1500s and Zebulon Pike in 1807.  In 1868 Antonio Joseph, a prominent man in the history of New Mexico, moved to Ojo Caliente where he opened Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs as the first natural health spa in the country.  The spa offered overnight lodging, a Post Office, and a general store frequented by Kit Carson.    Three original buildings are listed in the National Registry of Historic Places:  the Covered Bathhouse (1860s),  Hotel (1918), and Adobe Round Barn (1924).   Over 100,000 gallons of lithium, arsenic, iron and soda mineral waters steam to the surface each day revitalizing those who soak in them.   Ojo Caliente Mineral  Springs Resort and Spa was featured in not less than 25 magazine or news articles and national television in 2009 alone as a premier place to heal body and mind.   The resort is Zen Central offering  lodging, dining, shopping, healing through the waters or yoga, and even classes in skin care using lavender products.

Ojo Caliente Real Estate gives a place to be neighbors and yet possesses the gift of isolation for a peaceful existence in northern New Mexico’s beauty.   It is quiet country living at its best, but also provides a place to impress visitors with elegant dining at Ranch De San Juan just down the road.

One of my current listings is this old adobe that has been brought up to date and made more efficient and comfortable without sacrificing the beauty, warmth and appeal of a traditional, Northern New Mexico adobe.

The kitchen is definitely the heart of this home, located right in the center with plenty of room for a large table for food prep and to give visitors a place to sit and chat while the cook prepares a meal.  Steps away from the kitchen is the dining area which looks out onto the huge back deck allowing the indoor living space to merge into the outdoor spaces. Alongside the deck is the acequia which runs with irrigation water from April through October giving the ambiance of a live stream through your back yard.  Below the ditch there are horse facilities, a tack room (or double car garage as you may wish to use it), gardening area and facilities for horses including electricity and water.

Back in the house you’ll find a wonderful master bedroom with the bath attached. The bath continues the old-world character with a large clawfoot tub. There’s another bedroom on the other side of the kitchen and a lovely living room that, like the dining area, looks out onto the back deck through a wall of windows.  Upstairs, the owners have created an office space and another bedroom in what was the attic. The ceilings are slanted and the dormers bring in light making the space very usable.  If you love the look and feel of the area’s most well-loved homes, you must come see this one. Along with the 4.63 irrigated acres, it’s a beautiful property at a very good price.

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