Quinta Mazatlan, one of the larger adobe homes in the state, was designed and built by Jason Chilton Matthews (1887-1964) during the late 1930s, using adobe blocks made at the site. Matthews, a composer, writer, and adventurer, was known for his eccentric ways. During the last few years of their lives, Jason and his wife Marcia (1891-1963) edited and published the American Mercury magazine from here. Begun in 1924, the magazine was a leading conservative publication that expressed strong pro-American views.