The basic back story goes like this;
In the 1850s, the restaurant was the home of a wealthy Mexican family named Maese. One day the family hired a maid named Ines. The family had a teenage son named Armando, who fell in love with the maid, much to his mother’s distress.
Love continued, however, and Carlota, the mother, came home one afternoon to find the two lovers romantically embraced in her bedroom. Enraged at the sight, the mother grabbed a pair of scissors and ran towards Ines to stab her. In an attempt to protect his lover, Armando leaped in front of Ines, and Carlota accidentally stabbed her son in the scuffle. Unfortunately, Armando would soon die from his wound. Ines managed to escape the bloody scene and was not seen in town for over a year. Thus, Carlota became a bitter and antagonistic woman.
One evening, Ines returned to Mesilla in disguise but was recognized by a drunken cowboy in the plaza. A confrontation occurred between the two, and Ines was fatally shot. Local citizens, unaware of her identity, brought her wounded body into Carlota’s home and placed it inside Carlota’s very own bedroom. It was there on Carlota’s bed that Ines died. Employees and guests alike say that the ghosts of the young lovers inhabit the Carlota Salon to this day.
So the first issue is that I have not been able to locate any historical information on the murders. Surely, if these horrific incidents had happened, it would have been reported in the newspapers at the time. There simply is nothing there. In fact, I am having a difficult time locating anything about a wealthy family named Maese.
Another oddity that I have come across is this interesting information on the history of the restaurant.
In 1972, the private residence was acquired by Robert 0. Anderson. The year 1984 saw major restoration completed by the present owner, C. W. “Buddy” Ritter, a fifth generation Mesilla decedent. Antiques, many of which have their equal only in the finest museums, were painstakingly collected by well-known designer John Meigs.
Now C. W. “Buddy” Ritter is also associated with the Lodge at Cloudcroft, another restaurant that has ghost stories. Is is simply a coincidence?