Lara-Soto Adobe

The Lara-Soto Adobe stands out with its thick, whitewashed mud-brick walls and a heavy, low-slung roof that keeps the interior cool against the central coast heat. It dates back to the Mexican era of Monterey, serving as a family home when the town was the capital of Alta California. In eighteen forty-six, Josefa Soto lived here while her husband, a soldier, took part in the brief skirmishes surrounding the American takeover. She stayed through the transition, keeping the house as Monterey changed hands.