Heaven on the Arroyo Hondo North Plateau ~ It’s rare to encounter a home with a soul as rich as the Atalaya House just North of town overlooking the coveted Arroyo Hondo & Taos Valley. Imagine owning a piece of history, where pottery shards from the 1800s whisper tales of ancient inhabitants in your own lush and irrigated garden. This isn’t just a house; it’s a living archive with the most magical 1 acre of land you will find surrounding it. Originally built in Lama from local mill scraps, the remarkable adobe home was meticulously disassembled and moved to Arroyo Hondo in the early 1950s—a testament to ingenuity and resilience. Every beam and adobe brick holds a story of its journey. Over the last 47 years, the Atalaya House has been lovingly transformed. Sunlight now pours through passive solar windows that warm flagstone floors quarried from local sites, which compliment the net-metered solar system that keep utility bills almost non-existent. Upon entering the home, you’re greeted by one of several historic furniture pieces available to the next owner, followed by a stainless steel chef’s kitchen with vaulted plank ceilings and adorned by a traditional wood burning fireplace, custom colorful clay plastered walls, and Las Cruces hand-made tiles that inspire true culinary adventure. The primary bedroom of the home possess special straw and mud floor. There are other unique Southwestern features, like nichos, bancos, arched windows and doorways, and even recycled chandelier lamps from the era of early electric power in Taos. The hand carved wood features throughout the residence are simply jaw dropping and considered treasure of their own. Ascend the stairs crafted with hand-carved posts from a historic hacienda to discover two bedrooms with expansive valley views, and yet another artist inspired bathroom constructed with river rock, willow branches, and fossils. Back down the stairway you pass a spacious laundry center with a dedicated egress, and out into a tranquil and majestic oasis with acequia water flowing beside a japanese inspired pond and the freestanding hot tub that offer direct views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains under colorful and vibrant cottonwood trees in the fall. The land here was made for growing, therefore the organic garden and greenhouse were built to yield bountiful harvests, which they have done so for years, and will for future generations. There is even a root cellar to store all the fruits of your labor year-round. For the creative type, the various outbuildings will make for the perfect artists studio, workshop, boat or RV storage, or possibly a second living space. The Atalaya House isn’t merely another property; it’s an invitation to live within a legacy, where every corner holds a secret, and every sunrise promises new inspiration. Are you ready to be its next chapter?
