Location Description and History

In 1692 Domingo de Luna came to New Mexico on a land grant from the King of Spain. A few years later, Don Pedro Otero came to Valencia County under similar circumstances. These two families grew, acquired fortunes in land and livestock, and became extremely powerful in politics and prominent in territorial society . The family heads became friends and business associates. The marriages of Solomon Luna to Adelaida Otero, and Manuel A. Otero to Eloisa Luna in the late 1800's united these two families into what became known as the Luna-Otero Dynasty.

Because Don Antonio Jose died in 1881, the first family to occupy the mansion was his oldest son, Tranquilino. After Don Tranquilino's death in Washington while serving in the legislature, younger brother Solomon took the reins of the family. Although Solomon was probably the most famous of the Lunas, he was not very prolific. With no children in his family, control passed to his nephew, Eduardo Otero, in the early 1900's. It was during this time, specifically in the 1920's that the mansion truly became the outstanding building that now exists. During this period the solarium was constructed, the front portico was added, and the ironwork, which once surrounded about five times as much property as it now does, was erected. Responsible for these and other improvements was a talented and creative woman, Josefita Manderfield Otero, wife of Don Eduardo. Josefita, or Pepe as she is affectionately remembered, was a daughter of William R. Manderfield, founder of the Santa Fe New Mexican. This fine lady ruled the mansion with a gentle and loving hand and spent her days caring for her magnificent gardens and applying paint to canvas. There are those in this area who still remember and speak highly of her.

In the 1970's the mansion was remodeled into a restaurant, and it was then that the ghost of one of the original family members, Josefita "Pepe" Otero, began to appear. Several employees have seen her ghost and describe her as very real looking, dressed in 1920's clothing. She haunts two former bedrooms on the second floor an attic storeroom and the top of the stairs which leads to the second floor bar. Several other apparitions are rumored to also haunt the location. Luiz, a servant, haunts the lower floor. His spirit is said to be friendly to women and children. Two other unidentified spirits have also been seen or felt on the mansion grounds.

During our investigation we picked up several interesting EM fields. One is near the wall by the downstairs bar. Although the readings are too high, there is no explainable source for the field as the wall is a 3 foot thick adobe structure and the powerlines are not routed through it.

Also in the downstairs area, we captured a spinning chandler on video. No one was present in the room before the phenomena started.(Picture 1)

We also may have a suspect target captured on film in one of the lower dining rooms that was once the family room. A possible vortexes phenomena is in the lower left corner of the picture. (Picture 2)

Filed for further investigation.