My childhood playground was surrounded by ghosts.
I grew up in Old Mesilla, one of the oldest towns in New Mexico. It officially became part of the United States when the Treaty of La Mesilla (aka the Gadsden Purchase) was signed in 1853. Consequently, the Maes family relocated its import/export business from Santa Fe to Mesilla where they built an extravagant hacienda along the plaza of the growing town.
The Murders
Señora Carlotta Maes was the matriarch, a proud, ambitious woman who expected great things of her family and had grand designs for them all, particularly her oldest son, a teenager, Armando. Their prestige hinged upon his success in running the family business, and a marriage alliance with Mexican aristocracy would cement their power for generations.
Among the household's many servants was a captivating teenager with waist-long, silky black hair named Inez. Armando was enchanted by her beauty. Their love bloomed in stolen glances and clandestine meetings. Knowing his mother would disapprove, he kept his romance a secret. The watchful eyes and ears of the household staff quickly learned of the romance, but La Señora was unkind to the servants, so they helped the teenagers shield their romance from her scrutiny.
Eventually, La Señora noticed Armando's infatuation with the servant girl and confronted him. He confessed his love for Inez. Love? He was a child. What did he know of love? Love was being a responsible, dutiful son. Angry, she fired the servant girl and forbade Armando to see her. A servant was beneath his station, and his foolish desire could ruin her plans to marry him to the daughter of a wealthy family in Mexico City. Feeling a sense of urgency, she traveled to arrange the marriage sooner than planned.
She returned to Mesilla after a successful betrothal arrangement was made, proud that her family would be strong for generations. Their success and legacy depended on this marriage alliance. But she knew something was wrong the moment she returned. The servants acted suspiciously. No one knew where to find her son, so she hurried to his bedroom. Hearing voices inside, she threw open the door and found the young lovers in bed together.
Shocked, she backed out of the room and onto the patio. Armando could ruin the family's reputation and destroy the legacy she had so carefully designed. Worse, he had defied her orders, an unforgivable betrayal. She had provided everything he could want, and he was throwing it all away for a stupid servant girl.
She stumbled over her sewing basket. When she landed on the ground, her hand fell upon her sewing shears.
Blinded by rage, she stormed back into Armando's bedroom. The couple was hurriedly throwing on their clothes, which only infuriated her more. She stabbed the servant girl in the heart, cutting open her chest. She raised the shears again, intending to stab the girl again. In an attempt to save his love, Armando threw himself between his beloved Inez and the shears.
La Señora inadvertently stabbed him in the back. When he cried out in pain, only then did she understand her actions. Her grief-stricken scream was heard throughout the house. She saw the servant girl lying on the floor in a pool of blood, and she saw her beloved son, bleeding from a terrible wound in his back. He cradled the dead girl and stroked her beautiful black hair. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he kissed her and felt her last breath. A heartbeat later he raised his head as if watching an invisible presence in the corner and gave a joyous smile.
Thinking this was a sign that her son was not as badly hurt as she thought, La Señora rushed to take care of him, but he collapsed into a coma and died three days later.
La Señora did not speak for the rest of her days. Her last word was "Armando."
The Hauntings
The ghosts of Armando and Inez haunt Armando's bedroom, now the Carlotta Salon or the Ghost Room in the Double Eagle Restaurant. Throughout the restaurant, people see a vanishing girl with long, black hair cascading to her waist. They smell lavender perfume. They hear footsteps belonging to no one. Dining chairs, tables, and other objects are moved. Servers hear their names whispered from the other room only to find no one there.
In the corners of the room sit two worn plush chairs where visitors feel an inexplicable cold draft and an eerie energy. Armando and Inez don't like it when people sit in their chairs. People who dare to do so are cursed with terrible nightmares.
An El Paso news team investigated. See their segment HERE.
Ghost Adventures also investigated. Preview it HERE.
I hope you enjoyed this ghostly tale. If you enjoyed my books, please rate them and/or leave a review.
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