This circular stone fortification was erected by the area’s earliest Hispanic settlers in the 1840’s or 1850’s. The tower has a viga-constructed second floor, and an open-roofed second story. It was used as a look out and defensive structure for protection from raiding Apaches. Tradition says the Torreón was at the center of a plaza surrounded by a number of jacales. This plaza was part of a series of settlements known as Las Placitas del Rio Bonito.
The Torreón was restored in the mid 1930’s by the WPA under the sponsorship of the Chaves County Historical Society. It became state property in 1935, and is on the National Historic Register and the State Register of Cultural Properties.
The façade of the Torreón is in need of repair, as are the canales and roof.
