Given the number of old buildings still standing in the Land of Enchantment, it’s not surprising that some of them are haunted. The small town of Mesilla has a well preserved and extensive historic district. Here, you’ll find a story about forbidden love and murder that haunts a local restaurant to this day.
The Double Eagle is housed inside a building that used to be a hacienda, owned by the Maes family. Senora Maes expected great things of her oldest son, Armando - she wanted him to marry an aristocrat.
However, Armando, became besotted with a household servant named Inez. Although she returned his feelings, their relationship had to remain a secret due to his mother’s ambition and the differences in their social positions.
One day, Senora Maes came home unexpectedly, interrupting the lovers’ tryst. She grabbed her sewing shears from a basket on the patio and attacked Inez, stabbing her. As the Senora was preparing to strike again, Armando threw his body over Inez and the blade that was meant for his beloved struck him instead.
Inez died in Armando’s arms; he slipped into unconsciousness, dying three days after her, without ever waking up.
Armando’s bedroom, where the double homicide took place, is now the Carlotta Salon. The paranormal occurrences here lead many to believe that the two spirits remain at the Double Eagle to this day, united at last.