Casa Vieja, the “old house”, and the ancestral home of the Martinez family, is one of the oldest buildings in the village of Corrales. Oral history dates the building to the early 1700s, near the time of the founding of Albuquerque. Some sources claim that the house was built by Captain Juan Gonzales for his daughter, but another states that it was probably built in 1718, at which time Salvador Martinez purchased the land for 250 (some say 507) cows. The original walls are made of terrones, and some walls are 30 inches thick, supporting the claim of the buildings age. A chapel is said to be located at the west end of the 55 foot ling living room of the house.
