Uploaded June 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
El Camino Real winds up La Bajada Hill along the Santa Fe River near it's northern end at Santa Fe, New Mexico.
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro served a variety of purposes. Many of its users were involved in the Spanish empire’s prolonged project of converting American Indians to Christianity, yet the road hosted a diverse array of characters; people headed northward included settlers, priests, and newly appointed officials, while those headed south included retiring officials, friars, traders, enslaved Indians, convicts, and prisoners of war. The trail also served as a principal avenue of communication and commerce by which goods and information flowed back and forth. Caravans along the route typically consisted of thirty-two wagons, each of which was hauled by eight mules and carried about 4,000 pounds of freight; most caravans brought other stock as well, such as cattle, sheep, goats, burros, and chickens. Royal decrees, mail, mission supplies, and private merchandise was included among the freight.
nmosg.com
El Camino Real winds up La Bajada Hill along the Santa Fe River near it's northern end at Santa Fe, New Mexico.
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro served a variety of purposes. Many of its users were involved in the Spanish empire’s prolonged project of converting American Indians to Christianity, yet the road hosted a diverse array of characters; people headed northward included settlers, priests, and newly appointed officials, while those headed south included retiring officials, friars, traders, enslaved Indians, convicts, and prisoners of war. The trail also served as a principal avenue of communication and commerce by which goods and information flowed back and forth. Caravans along the route typically consisted of thirty-two wagons, each of which was hauled by eight mules and carried about 4,000 pounds of freight; most caravans brought other stock as well, such as cattle, sheep, goats, burros, and chickens. Royal decrees, mail, mission supplies, and private merchandise was included among the freight.
nmosg.com
