Luis Maria Peralta Adobe Photograph by Judith Silva, courtesy of the City of Santa Clara

The Luis Maria Peralta Adobe is the last remaining link to the Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, one of Spanish California's oldest settlements and first municipal government. Manuel Gonzales was the first owner of the adobe. Gonzales and his family, among the earliest Spanish settlers of California, were part of the Anza Party of 1776. The Pueblo, believed to date from 1790-1800, is a rare survivor of a once common domestic type of architecture. The walls of the building are constructed of adobe blocks two feet thick, the floors are earthen, and the walls were originally plastered. After Gonzales died in 1804, Peralta, also a member of the Anza party, purchased the property.

The Peralta Adobe is located at 184 West Saint John St., San Jose and is administered by History San José. It is open Saturday and Sunday, 12:00pm to 5:00pm for tours. There is a fee. Call 408-918-1040 for more information. History San Jose also operates the Fallon House located on the northside of West Saint John St., which is the fully restored and lavishly furnished Italianate home of an early mayor of San Jose.