Hi there! Shewanders intern Rachel back here again. As fellow intern Claudia and I looked through photos from an artist retreat at La Bellota Ranch in Baja California, Mexico we fell in love with the way the ranch looked from the simple old architecture to the way the horses blended in with the mountainsides, we nearly felt like we were there. Together we curated photos that spoke to us in a storytelling way about the ranch and all it has to offer.
From what may have seemed like feudal beginnings in the mid-2000s, a couple created an escape nestled in what seems like the middle of nothingness in Baja. When the timing was right and the dream-worthy property was on the market, they bought an old abandoned cattle ranch with their hearts in mind. La Bellota was created with intention to be an oasis for travelers and artists alike to escape and create.
The owners wanted visitors to step onto their property and be overcome with a sense of solitude and intense comfort; just like they were home. The ranch was made to create a great escape in the backcountry of picturesque Baja on those roads less traveled. This ranch fosters a sense of why loneliness and a labor of love are necessary parts to the neverending equation of life.
The surrounding brush filled rolling hills make desert its own western-esque retreat. It is special as a visitor to know you are entering a space that is an absolute dream for the owners. a true humble abode started from humble souls of two humans deep in love.
Like I said before, part of the magic of La Bellota is that it can be used as an artist retreat for groups of hungry photographers, painters, writers and every other form of art. This collection of photos came from a retreat of local women photographers from San Diego. While there, the women were able to play with the canvass of life the ranch had to offer ranging from the cowboys to their horses to the nature and surroundings of being isolated in the mountains of Mexico.
These photos were the ones that Claudia and I felt best exposed and represented the ranch as a retreat to creatives. Suzanne says she can’t wait to go back. The next retreat is November 1-4th reach out to @eileenmandellphotography on Instagram for more information!
Xoxo,
The Wanderers Rachel and Claudia
