Travel Encounters

Along El Camino Real de los Tejas, a Spanish carreta, or wooden freight wagon, could travel up to 18 miles before sunset on a good day. In the 1750s, a driver might pass Franciscan friars in charge of the mission of San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes, overtake Caddo carrying a bois d'arc bow, corn, or other foodstuffs to trade farther west, and see Spanish soldiers crowding the path. Within a few miles, travelers could encounter three influential kinds of traffic on the route: religious, trade, and military. The Franciscan order of the Catholic Church established missions in East Texas beginning in 1690 and hoped to convert local Native Americans to Christianity, though with limited success. Native Americans continued to trade along El Camino Real as they had for centuries, while the Spanish and French sought trade relations with them and brought new materials into Texas. Patrols and military escorts protected colonists and traders and kept vital pathways safe for travelers. Constant traffic over many years created ruts called swales, some still visible, and in places several parallel swales let travelers choose the best route for a day's journey. The carreta was the primary vehicle used by Spanish settlers and traders, with wooden wheels up to seven feet in diameter and little if any metal in its construction, and it could be pulled by mules or oxen.

Texas · United States