February 8, 2020

Quinta Mazatlan (KEEN-tuh  MAH-zaht-lahn) “Quinta” in Spanish means country house, villa or estate. The word “Mazatlan” in ancient Indian  means “Land of the Deer”. The history of this site starts with a man and his wife (Jason and Marcia Matthews) who built the mansion with a special mix of adobe in the 1930’s. They lived there for 30 years. In the mid 60’s the mansion came up for sale and the city of McAllen bought it to preserve it from destruction. It became an urban sanctuary whose mission is to work “to enrich people’s lives by sharing knowledge about birds, plants, and environmental stewardship in South Texas.”

Entrance

Quinta Mazatlan Adobe Mansion

Massive carved front doors

Notice the shell above the door.

Inside the adobe mansion.

One of two antique pianos of Brazilian rosewood.

Roman tub in bathroom

Tilework in archway

Courtyard

Pool and portico in courtyard.

Well in courtyard

Pathway to bird feeders and amphitheater.

Baby Cacti

A tangled mess of cacti growing in among the brush and trees.

                                                       Agave Plant

Large Agave Plant

This water flows to the pond where it is pumped back to the top of the creek bed. The pump runs on solar electricity. On right are bronze turtles to illustrate the local wildlife.

Pathway to pond

Pathway around pond.

Portico with solar panels on the roof to run pump.

It was very enjoyable to see this historic adobe and walk the pathways in the garden in the afternoon under cloudy skies. I imagine it gets really hot here in summers, and the thick walls of the adobe would have kept the house cool.

Categories: RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Full Time RVing, McAllen, Quinta Mazatlan, RVing, Sites to see in McAllen, South Texas sites to see, Texas, TX