El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

The reason why we came to San Antonio is because there is a heritage center located 18 miles down the road and so we went there today to see what it was all about.  For over 300 years the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (The Royal Road to the Interior) was the main north-south artery for commerce with Mexico and was used until the railroad arrived in 1878.  The El Camino Real is the earliest trade route in the United States.  Don Juan de Onate established the route in 1598 when he  led an expedition north out of Mexico City and up into what today we call New Mexico, ending to just north of Santa Fe in the Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh, near present day Espanola.  At the rate of 8 to 10 miles a day, the journey lasted at least five months and the length was 1,600 miles. And, they traveled at night because of the heat of the day.  How did they see where they were going?

The stars last night were amazing and so seeing the brightness of the stars, I now understand how they traveled at night.  The expedition encountered many native (indigenous) people and their pueblos who ran off when they saw the Spaniards coming, through desert and transversing a 90 miles stretch called Jornada de Muerto (Journey of the Dead Man) known to be a very perilous part of the trip with little to no water.  For 300 years this corridor saw merchandise moving back and forth into and out of Mexico.  Once the railroad came into existence, the road was literally forgotten.  Wasn't until the push about 10 years ago to relocate the Road and even today archeological digs are going on.

From the back it looks like a ship in the desert

Sculpture you can see from I25 - maybe 30 feet tall?

Part of the El Camino Real trail

Inside the Heritage Center you walked in a circle with various facets described.  History of Spain, the Mexico revolt, the Spanish American War, the treaties, establishment of towns and missions along the way, about the Indians who lived there prior to the Spanish and how they were conquered, the US forts that were built in the mid to late 1800s to protect those traveling the Camino Real, to the advent of the railroad, to current day's traveling along Interstate 25 which parallels the El Camino Real closely.

Each room had a flavor - this one was about Spain

This room about the influences brought to New Mexico

We did not realize the importance of the town of Socorro (means helpful; the natives were the only people that did not flee when the Spanish came upon them, instead helping them with food, shelter) and the San Miguel Mission.

History of Socorro

Lots of history in this area.  I know I was not taught anything about the El Camino Real in grade school.  This is pretty important stuff.  The trade route was well established prior to Columbus coming to America!  Horses were introduced by the Spanish to the native tribes (Apache Indians) who learned how to breed and raise the animals which made them the most powerful of all the Plains Indians. Sheepherding, introduction to different foods and planting, the conversion to Catholicism. Now I understand the heavy influence of Spanish Culture as well as Mexican influences.