Sitting in the Rancho Higuera Historical Park is an old adobe building, one of the last remaining buildings in Washington Township from the Spanish-Mexican era of California (1776 – 1848). The adobe was built between 1830 and 1840 on land granted to Fulgencio Higuera. Maps show that the adobe was also associated with Juan Crisostomo Galindo, hence the name of the adobe is “Galindo-Higuera Adobe”
The adobe is 30 feet wide and 40 feet long, with three rooms on the lower floor and two rooms on the upper. The walls are 23 inches thick. The individual adobe bricks are 22 inches long, 11 inches wide, and 3.5 inches thick. It is cool in summer and warm in winter, the thickness of the walls making excellent insulation. There is no fireplace, as all cooking was done outdoors. Coals were brought into the house for warmth.
The Higuera Adobe has been newly cleaned and new interpretive panels have been installed at the information center.
Docent-Led Group Tour
- Slide show about the history of the adobe
- For students tours: activities of the Rancho/Mexican era (make adobe bricks, candles, etc)
- Tour of the adobe
- Walk to the nearby Agua Fria Creek and discuss native American presence and natural habitat.
Details
- $5 per visitor
- Two-hour tour
- Tour times: Call or email for arrangements
