Camino Real De Tierra Adentro

The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, or Royal Road of the Interior Land, was a rough 2,560 km long medieval trading route in the Americas. This trade route connected Mexico City, the Spanish colony’s capital, to the colony’s northern boundaries, which are now in the US state of New Mexico.

The route was built over centuries-old Indigenous trading paths before becoming a significant transit corridor connecting all of the former Spanish colonies in North America.




The historic path in the United States ran from El Paso, Texas, to San Juan Pueblo in New Mexico, passing through Socorro, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Belen, and Santa Fe.

From Chihuahua to Mexico City, the path passed via Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Durango, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, and Querétaro. Between 1598 and 1882, the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was utilized as a commerce route for almost 300 years.

As a result, the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro served as a well-developed and unique communication line that opened up northern territories and formed a multi-ethnic civilization that allowed for the interchange of cultural and religious ideas.

In 2010, UNESCO listed some 55 sites along the 1,400-kilometer Mexican part of the road as World Heritage Sites. The route’s 650-kilometer US segment is now part of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail.

A Brief History

Ancient Indigenous kingdoms and tribes in north-central Mexico built a trade route that linked the people who lived in the Valley of Mexico with those who lived in what is now the United States.




The Spanish explorer Juan de Onate found a path while bringing a party of immigrants over the Rio del Norte River in 1598. The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was named after this path.

This track connected Mexico City to the other Spanish domains of Santa Fe, Audiencia, Acapulco, and Veracruz and was the northernmost of the four principal “royal highways.”

The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro path greatly facilitated trade between Spanish settlements and aided Spanish colonists in their efforts to spread Christianity throughout their acquired territories.

The path was mainly used to transport silver collected from mines in the northern regions.

Several towns sprung up along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro path starting in the 18th century. Villas, bridges, commercial and historical areas, temples, convents, haciendas, and a cemetery were among the places visited.

The path was utilized until 1881 when railroads took over and eliminated the need for carts. The pathways were eventually supplanted by railroads.

The path was critical for communication between Mexican provinces during the Mexican War for Independence.




The Santa Fe Trail was built to connect the cities of Franklin in Missouri with Santa Fe in New Mexico when the United States gained independence from Colonial rule in 1821.

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