Rancho Duarte in Mexicali valley: agricultural architecture during the cotton boom in Mexico

Abstract

Rancho Duarte was founded when the so-called “white gold” began to mark a period of prosperity for the Mexicali Valley. Its adobe architecture, the characteristics of its complex as an area dedicated to production and its location are exceptional. The ranch is part of a historic episode relevant to the northwest region of Mexico; but, in addition to being identified by its successful and extensive production, it served as a destination for an American elite dedicated to hunting tourism. Eighty years after its foundation, agriculture stopped being sustenance and – despite the encouragement to keep it– the place presents some deterioration. Now, the proximity with the delta of the Colorado River and the Upper Gulf of California define a certain prospective in order to reuse the ranch and value elements of the natural landscape of its environment.