Quinta Mazaztlan was built in the 1930s as a private residence surrounded by a citrus orchard and thornforest for sixty years. In 1998, the City of McAllen purchased the property to preserve the historic building and the forest around it, transforming it into a “mansion with a mission” to enrich the community by sharing knowledge about birds, plants, and environmental stewardship in South Texas. The Center for Urban Ecology (CUE), in partnership with UT Rio Grande Valley, is based at Quinta Mazatlan, and works to grow the mission of the urban sanctuary and extend it into the Rio Grande Valley community and the world.