“The walls were watching me, and they hated me.” ― Isabel Cañas – the Hacienda

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas is a haunting gothic horror novel set in 1820s Mexico after the War of Independence.

A young woman marries a wealthy landowner, only to discover her new home harbors malevolent forces.

Blending supernatural terror with historical fiction, Cañas creates a uniquely Mexican gothic tale exploring colonialism, faith, and female resilience.

With its remote, crumbling estate and suspicious locals, The Hacienda offers a fresh take on the haunted house trope that will appeal to fans of Mexican Gothic and Rebecca.

Plot Summary

“In darkness, the house was not a house. It was something else entirely.” ― Isabel Cañas – The Hacienda

The Hacienda began in 1823, after the war for independence in Mexico. Beatriz, daughter of an executed officer, accepts a hasty marriage proposal from Don Rodolfo Solórzano, a wealthy landowner.

Despite warnings about his mysterious past and his first wife’s suspicious death, Beatriz sees this marriage as her only escape from poverty.

Upon arriving at Hacienda San Isidro, Beatriz notices the property’s eerie atmosphere. The house feels unnaturally cold, and the staff won’t stay after dark.

When Rodolfo leaves for business shortly after their arrival, Beatriz faces escalating horrors alone. Strange noises echo at night, objects move on their own, and terrifying visions blur the line between hallucination and reality.

Desperate, Beatriz turns to Padre Andrés, who secretly practices indigenous spiritual traditions alongside his Catholic duties. As a mestizo priest, he straddles two worlds.

Together, they discover the house’s malevolent presence is tied to the Solórzano family’s history of cruelty against indigenous workers. The evil has formed a dangerous bond with Rodolfo himself.

The narrative alternates between Beatriz and Andrés’s perspectives as they confront the vengeful spirit and their growing feelings for each other.

As Rodolfo’s return approaches, they face difficult choices in their battle against both worldly and otherworldly evils that have held the hacienda in their grip for generations.

My Thoughts and Review of The Hacienda

Reading The Hacienda feels like wandering through a beautiful but decaying mansion where each shadow might conceal something sinister. This gothic horror experience lingers long after you turn the final page.

The Writing Style

Cañas’s prose is rich and atmospheric, creating a palpable sense of dread that builds steadily throughout the narrative. Her descriptions of San Isidro are particularly effective, transforming the house into a character with its malevolent personality.

The writing strikes a perfect balance between lush detail and propulsive pacing. Sensory elements—the smell of burning coal, the sound of footsteps in empty rooms, and the oppressive heat of the Mexican countryside—immerse readers completely in this haunted world.

The Characters and Themes

Beatriz and Andrés are complex, flawed protagonists whose personal histories directly inform their actions and choices. Beatriz’s determination to claim independence makes her initial blindness to warning signs believable, while her courage in confronting supernatural threats feels earned.

The Hacienda explores numerous thought-provoking themes: the lasting wounds of colonialism, the intersection of religious and cultural beliefs, and women’s vulnerabilities in patriarchal societies.

The novel’s haunting is both literal and metaphorical—a manifestation of historical trauma that cannot be easily exorcised or forgotten.

Pacing and Structure

The novel alternates between Beatriz and Andrés’s perspectives, a structure that effectively builds tension while providing the necessary historical context.

The pacing is excellent, with creeping dread in the early chapters giving way to more overt horror as the story progresses. Cañas knows when to linger in moments of quiet terror and when to accelerate into heart-pounding sequences.

This creates a reading experience that feels both contemplative and thrilling.

Emotional Impact

What makes The Hacienda particularly affecting is how it grounds its supernatural elements in very real human experiences of grief, isolation, and injustice.

Beatriz’s precarious position as a woman with few options in post-colonial Mexico creates genuine emotional stakes. Andrés’s spiritual conflicts add depth to what might otherwise be standard exorcism tropes.

By the novel’s conclusion, readers have experienced not just fear but also empathy for characters struggling against both supernatural and societal constraints.

Adaptations of The Hacienda

As a relatively recent publication (2022), The Hacienda has not yet been adapted for film or television. With the growing interest in diverse gothic horror stories and the success of similar works like Mexican Gothic (in development for Hulu), The Hacienda presents rich material for a potential screen adaptation.

The novel’s visual elements—the decaying hacienda, the Mexican countryside, and the blending of Catholic and indigenous spiritual imagery—would translate beautifully to a visual medium.

Its exploration of Mexican history and culture would provide a fresh perspective in the often Eurocentric gothic horror genre on screen.

Readers’ Ratings and Reviews for The Hacienda

“Faith and fear are separated by the width of an eyelash.” ― Isabel Cañas, The Hacienda

The Hacienda has received strong praise from readers and critics since its publication in 2022.

Ratings

Goodreads: Over 54,000 ratings with an average of 3.78 out of 5 stars.

Amazon: Approximately 3,500 ratings averaging 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Reviews

• A perfect blend of historical fiction and horror that brings a fresh perspective to the haunted house genre.
• The atmospheric writing made me feel like I was actually in this creepy, cursed hacienda. I couldn’t put it down!
• As a Mexican reader, I appreciated the authentic historical details and cultural elements that made this gothic tale uniquely ours.

Criticisms

• Some readers felt the romance element developed too quickly, given the circumstances.
• A few noted that the pacing in the middle section dragged slightly before picking up for the finale.

Is The Hacienda the Right Book for You?

The Hacienda is perfect for readers who enjoy gothic horror with historical depth and cultural specificity.

If you appreciate atmospheric, character-driven narratives where the setting becomes as important as the people inhabiting it, this novel will likely captivate you.

This book is ideal if you enjoy stories featuring haunted houses, complex female protagonists, and historical settings.

Fans of writers like Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Daphne du Maurier, and Laura Purcell will appreciate Cañas’s approach to the gothic tradition.

However, readers looking for fast-paced horror with constant scares might find the novel’s deliberate build-up less engaging.

Those uncomfortable with religious themes or some graphic violence might also want to approach with caution.

Books Similar to The Hacienda

If you enjoyed The Hacienda, here are other books that explore similar themes and atmospheres:

• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
• The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Conclusion

The Hacienda stands out in the gothic horror genre by bringing authentic historical context and cultural specificity to familiar tropes.

Isabel Cañas has created a haunting tale that works both as a spine-tingling ghost story and as a nuanced exploration of Mexico’s colonial legacy.

What makes this novel successful is how seamlessly it weaves supernatural elements with historical realities. Beatriz’s struggle becomes not just a fight for survival but also resistance against patriarchal and colonial systems.

For readers interested in horror that offers both scares and substance, The Hacienda delivers a memorably unsettling experience.

Cañas’s debut announces her as an important new voice in gothic fiction who understands that the most effective ghost stories reveal the haunted nature of history itself.

About the Author

Isabel Cañas is a Mexican-American writer who holds a PhD in English from the University of Washington.

Born in Mexico City and raised in the United States, her work explores the intersections of Mexican culture, history, and folklore through the lens of speculative fiction.

Before turning to novel writing, Cañas published short fiction in venues such as Nightmare Magazine.

Her debut novel, The Hacienda, published in 2022, established her as a rising voice in gothic horror with a fresh cultural perspective.

Other works

• Vampires of El Norte (2023)