Oñate’s Route / El Camino Real

In May 1598, Juan de Oñate, the first governor of New Mexico, passed near here with his colonizing expedition while traveling north. He designated official campsites, called parajes, on the Camino Real, which were used by expeditions that followed. Oñate's caravan included 129 men, many with their families and servants. El Camino Real, the oldest historical road in the United States, ran over 2000 miles from Mexico City to Taos. Parts of the route were used by Spanish explorers in the 1580s, but it was formally established in 1598 by Juan de Oñate, New Mexico's first colonizer and governor, and was later referred to as the Chihuahua Trail.

New Mexico · United States