Ex-Hacienda La Petaca

Welcome to La Petaca Ex Hacienda, a wedding venue in Guanajuato, MX, and a place of love, passion, battles, history, and legends spanning more than 450 years. The story begins in 1566, when the Viceroy of New Spain, Don Luis de Velasco, granted land along the banks of the Laja River to Captain Don Diego de Peguero, who named it Estancia San Antonio La Petaca. For more than 150 years, La Petaca served as a shelter for Spanish troops protecting the transportation of silver from the mines of Guanajuato. It became a mandatory stop for carriages traveling north along the historic Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. In 1750, the estate was sold to Don Antonio de Lanzagorta Urtusuastegui, a Spaniard from Castile, who renamed it Hacienda La Petaca. An important historical chapter took place here when Don Antonio's son, Juan Jose Francisco Lanzagorta de Inchauregui, and his friend Ignacio Allende met at the hacienda to plan part of the Mexican independence movement. Today, they are remembered as national heroes. Another historic moment occurred on September 16, 1810, when, around three in the afternoon, a group of insurgents crossed the Laja River through Hacienda La Petaca during the early moments of the Mexican War of Independence. Some of the hacienda workers were among the first to join the cause. In the central courtyard, visitors can still admire original arches commissioned by Don Antonio de Lanzagorta in honor of his homeland. At its peak, La Petaca covered more than 3000 hectares, making it one of the most prosperous haciendas in the region. It evolved from a cattle-producing estate into a storage center for gold and silver. Surrounded by mesquite trees, the property features rooms connected by tunnels and escape routes, two historic chapels, one dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe and the other to Saint Anthony of Padua, as well as its legendary gallera, remnants of aqueducts, and natural thermal waters. Today, La Petaca remains an emblem of the region's history and a remarkable setting where centuries of heritage create an unforgettable atmosphere for weddings and celebrations.