🌵 Chautla Hacienda

The Chautla Hacienda was a formerly vast extension of farmland located in the San Martin Texmelucan Valley in the state of Puebla, northwest of the city of Puebla in Mexico. It was established in the 18th century, primarily producing grain. In the 19th century, it became the property of an Englishman by the name of Thomas Gillow. He passed the property to his son Eulogio Gillow, who became the first archbishop of Antequera of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antequera. Eulogio worked to modernize the hacienda, building the first hydroelectric dam in Latin America on the property. He also built the property's signature building, an English style residence, locally called "El Castillo" which overlooks the dam. Today, only a small fraction of the hacienda remains, and it is run as a recreational and cultural center by an agency of the state of Puebla.