Constructed in the 17th century, La Labor de Rivera – 45 kilometers west of Guadalajara and 3.3 kms southwest of Teuchitlan – was described by Antonio Flores in “Odisea de un Pueblo” as “one of the finest haciendas in the area, with excellent land, abundant water, plenty of pasture land and hard-working trabajadores,” He noted that they “produced fine mezcal and piloncillo (brown sugar) and reaped abundant harvests of wheat and garbanzo. They truly seemed blessed by God.”
When I visited the venerable hacienda some 20 years ago, its walls were crumbling and it looked like nature was struggling to repossess it. Time had taken its toll on the 400-year-old buildings after they were abandoned following the ravages of the Mexican Revolution.
Then, along came the Lucke family. How they did it, I simply can’t imagine, but within seven years, the present owner, Edgar Lucke, has not only managed to restore the buildings and the grounds to their former glory, but also transform the hacienda into a prize-winning hotel, restaurant and much-sought-after venue for corporate training sessions and meeting, as well as social events such as weddings and graduation parties.
On top of that, today’s Hacienda La Labor is also a successful farm and even has its own tequila, Círculo, in honor of the nearby Guachimontones archaeological site. In addition, La Labor is a thriving ranch with a herd of 80 horses.
On a recent visit, my wife Susy and I strolled around the hacienda with Jesus “Chuy” Arana, head of reception.
The hacienda was originally named San Nicolas, probably by its first owner, Don Nicolas de Siordia, and acquired its present name because of a competition organized among various haciendas in the area, Arana told us.
“The hacienda that could produce the biggest harvest of all would be declared the winner,” he continued. “This hacienda won but rather than give the credit to one individual, the ranch hands, who numbered about 1,000 in those days, declared that it was ‘nuestra labor’ (our work) that had won the prize.”
The modern incarnation of Hacienda La Labor has become famous as an equestrian school. People come here not only to ride, but also learn every aspect of caring for, feeding and training horses. And they offer hippotherapy as well. Just in case you are wondering what staff do with the droppings produced by 80 horses, we learned that 50 percent are turned into 
compost and the rest is used to feed worms, resulting in vermicompost, an excellent nutrient-rich organic fertilizer.
While multinational corporations hold training sessions at this hacienda, it’s also a popular place for kids’ activities.
“Children come here to learn crafts like making piñatas and jewelry,” said Arana. “We have large air-conditioned rooms in a separate building which can sleep 30 kids at once.”
The list of activities goes on and on. Rodeos are held in their own arena with all the excitement of the Mexican charrería. They also host art exhibitions, catas or wine-tasting sessions and the annual Mole and Tequila Festival. You can find out all about upcoming events at Hacienda Labor de Rivera’s Facebook page.
After a delicious dinner of baked salmon in the gourmet restaurant, we took a night-time stroll around the lake, watching the fish jump. We then retired to our room, one of 21 alcobas: elegantly furnished rooms with walls about a meter thick and amazingly high ceilings (ours was 5.5 meters), plus huge wooden shutters on the windows. They have even retained the traditional holes on both sides of the doors where a thick pole called a tranca used to be placed to bar the door. Along with these authentic touches of the colonial way of life come all the amenities you’d expect from a hotel-boutique, plus the cleverest coffee-maker I’ve ever seen.
For more information call (52) 01-33-3516-9198 or see haciendalalabor.com.
How to get there
From Guadalajara, take Highway 15 west (toward Nogales) for 25 kilometers and turn left onto Highway 70 heading southwest towards Ameca. Be sure you don’t get on the toll road to Tepic and Nogales! After 17 kilometers you’ll pass the large sugar refinery at Tala. One and a half kilometers later, turn right onto a road signposted Ahualulco. After 12.7 kilometers you’ll come to the Teuchitláan gas station. Drive 3.2 kilometers past the gas station and you’ll see the sign for Hacienda Labor de Rivera. Turn left here. After 1.1 kilometers, you’ll arrive at the entrance to the hacienda. Driving time from Guadalajara is just under an hour and maybe 90 minutes from lakeside via Tlajomulco and Tala.