I wish more people saved place mats. Taken away from the table, they become more than merely a mat for a tableware setting. They rise to a new level of meaning and become truly a marker and remembrance of a place once visited. Today's example is a mid-century beauty from the Las Vegas Hacienda Hotel, which was part of the Hacienda chain of hotels and motels located throughout the Western States.

It's tough to find vintage place mats. A good place to look is in old scrapbook albums. Even when found, many are in bad shape. Paper place mats are delicate and flimsy things. For instance, this Hacienda place mat has fold creases and a grease stain in the bottom corner. The grease stain is a nice touch, though, I think.

I'm not sure what happened to the Hacienda Hotels. I believe some of the properties were purchased by larger hotel chains, although I can't find anything to confirm my suspicion.