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When we left the Bosque del Apache we drove south on New Mexico Hwy 1. Conveniently Hwy 1 is a scenic by-way that not only passes by Fort Craig (once the largest fort west of the Mississippi) but the El Camino Real International Heritage Center before joining I-25. The IHC has only been open a year and it is absolutely amazing! Lance and I are both thrilled that we stopped in for the afternoon.

I had read about this New Mexico State Monument and since we had been following the Camino Real for some time (since Albuquerque) I felt it would be good to learn more about it. Mind you, this is one of the places that I had to drag Lance in kicking and screaming. But since it is so well designed and captivating, he sheepishly had to admit it was worth it.

The Heritage Center is the result of a collaboration between U.S., Mexican and Spanish agencies, who worked together to tell the story of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Royal Road of the Interior). The route was established by Don Juan de Oñate and his expedition in 1598. Oñate’s mission was different from that of previous Spanish explorers who had traveled the Southwest.

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s goal was to search for valuable resources when he scouted the area in 1540-42. Oñate’s goal was to settle New Spain. Oñate’s caravan consisted of 175 soldiers and their families and close to 7,000 domesticated animals: horses, oxen, cattle, goats, sheep, cats, dogs and pigs. The group traveled as fast as the slowest animal, the pig. Stories have been handed down that tell of the Pueblo Indians’ bewilderment at the large, long cloud that slowly moved northward. It was the dust that the expedition stirred up.

The route that Oñate put together used existing Native American footpaths and it followed the Rio Grande from modern day El Paso, Texas. There was one stretch that strayed from the river, and it was called the Jornada del Muerto by Oñate and his men. Jornada del Muerto translates as Deadman’s Journey and it refers to an 80-mile long section of the Camino Real between modern day Truth or Consequences and Socorro. Oñate and his expedition were forced to leave the river bottom and travel through the hot, waterless desert when the valley narrowed and became too rugged for their carts.

One of my favorite anecdotes involved a nearby volcanic formation. It is called Contadera Mesa and it roughly translates as the counting mesa. Apparently, northbound settlers would climb the mesa and use the perch to count their livestock as it was passing by to see how many survived the harrowing Jornada del Muerto. Don’t you love knowing the story behind the names?

Oñate’s route that began in Mexico City ran for about 1,500 miles before terminating at the soon to be established La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis (the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi). In the ensuing four centuries the town’s name has been shortened to just Santa Fe.

El Camino Real means royal road and for colonial Spain it designated a route that they would protect and maintain. There were several Camino Reals throughout the Southwest, one through Arizona and another in California; but the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is the oldest of these. Which makes it the oldest public thoroughfare in the U.S.

The importance of this road, though long overlooked, should not be underestimated. Every year supplies and trade goods were transported both north and south along this route. The first surplus horses were brought up this road and forever changed the lifestyles of many Native American tribes. The chile pepper, the first European settlers, and Christianity also came up from the south.

Just recently the Camino Real was elevated in status to a National Historic Trail. Established by Congress in 2000, the El Camino Real National Historic Trail will promote, and hopefully protect, the 404 miles of the Camino that are in Texas and New Mexico. In some places along the Camino Real the ruts created by the heavily laden wagons are still visible. Although the El Camino Real International Heritage Center is not currently an official part of the Historic Trail, it is a fabulous place to delve into the history of the trail and the lives of those who traveled it.

The IHC was hosting a special celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) the day we visited. All day long they had special workshops and speakers. We were intrigued by the topic of the afternoon session, brujos and el coco (witches and the bogyman).

Nasario Garcia was the storyteller and he had us in the palm of his hand. Nasario is an author, a teacher, a researcher and a folklorist. He spent the last 30 years collecting and writing down the stories and legends of native New Mexicans. Native American, Mexican, Spanish, and American folklore with a heavy dose of Catholicism all mixed into one… what a melting pot!

We haven’t read any of his books but if they are half as entertaining as he is then they are must reads! In the course of an hour he made us laugh, taught us how to recognize both bad and good witches, how to protect ourselves from the bad ones, and how to kill them. Nobody wanted the hour to end!

During my stint at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum I focused on researching and designing effective signage and educational displays. Let me just rave about the Heritage Center’s; they are amazing. The place is probably one of the best designed museums I’ve ever visited. There are interactive exhibits, hands-on displays, music and themed rooms; you can learn as little or as much as you want.

Clearly, an afternoon is not nearly enough time to explore everything the IHC has to offer. We already have plans to go back.

Dates: We stopped to see El Camino Real International Heritage Center on Saturday, 11/04/06.