Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (English: Royal Road to the Interior).

Historical Background
In 1598 Juan de Oñate outfitted and led several hundred Spanish colonists from Zacatecas, Mexico north to establish the New Spain province of New Mexico. They traveled to Chihuahua, El Paso, and then mostly followed the Rio Grande north to the San Juan Pueblo (Tewa: Ohkay Owingeh) 25 miles (40 km) north of Santa Fe.

The trail route they pioneered came to be called the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. It is the oldest and longest used (1598-1884) of all historical trails in what is now the United States. For more than a century it was also the longest length of trail in America. The trail traditionally reached from Mexico City to Santa Fe. The northern part of the Trail was also known as the Chihuahua Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Chihuahua, Mexico.

The wagon route in New Mexico was discontinued a few years after a branch of the Santa Fe Railroad linked Albuquerque and El Paso, Texas in 1882.

Route
Like most trails there can be many variations, but the following towns were usually visited when following it from north to south:


 * San Juan Pueblo
 * Santa Fe
 * Albuquerque
 * Socorro


 * Jornada del Muerto (a stretch of dry camps away from Rio Grande)


 * Las Cruces
 * Mesilla
 * El Paso
 * Juarez
 * Chihuahua
 * Zacatecas
 * Guanajuato
 * Mexico City

Settlers
For a list of settlers who used the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro to come from old Mexico to New Mexico, see El Camino Real De Tierra Adentro: Five Waves of Settlers from 1598 - 1800.

Internet Sites

 * El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Wikipedia article about the National Historic Trail.
 * El Camino Real International Heritage Center describes the Center, hours, and has trail photographs and Internet links.
 * El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Trail Association news, trail images, and .pdf journal.