Our Story
La Parada began as a farm and a dream. David Montoya purchased 12 acres of land to return to his farming roots. He began growing alfalfa and raising cattle, bringing the once desolate land back to its farmland origins.
The historic building onsite sparked the passion of Pamela Montoya to create the store she always dreamed of.
Pam along with her daughter, Cherie Montoya, opened La Parada in October of 2004. The store became a treasure trove of beautiful items from around the world inside a one-of-a-kind historic building.
Many years later, dreams were sparked again with Cherie’s vision of reviving the traditions of her grandparents whose garden bounty fed the community. She opened Farm & Table and made that dream a reality.
Today, La Parada, Farm & Table Restaurant and edible permaculture farm, and David’s alfalfa farm are all going strong.
Inspired by Farm & Table’s focus on local food, La Parada now has many items from local artisans.
Antonia Montoya joined the team working alongside her mother, Pam, to bring some fresh ideas to La Parada.
La Parada means “the stop” in Spanish. The building was originally a stagecoach stop on the Camino Reàl (the Royal Road that connected Mexico City and Santa Fe) in the early 1800s.
The building is constructed of terrone – a material similar to adobe. Terrones are blocks of earth and organic material that were cut from the mud when the Rio Grande River would flood and recede. The sun-dried blocks were then used to build structures.
