In which city in Mexico did El Camino Real begin?

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was blazed atop a network of footpaths that connected Mexico's ancient cultures with the equally ancient cultures of the interior West. Starting in Mexico City, the frontier wagon road brought settlers into today's New Mexico.



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The original route begins in Baja California Sur, Mexico, at the site of Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó, present day Loreto, (the first mission successfully established in Las Californias).

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Historically, a Camino Real (Royal Road) is defined as a road that connects Spanish capital and Spanish capital, a distinction not shared with ordinary Spanish villages or Indian pueblos. For a short period of time, the trail connected Mexico City to San Juan Pueblo (1598-1600) and San Gabriel (1600-1609).

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The El Camino Real has many names, most common are “The Royal Road” and “The King's Highway.” The El Camino Real is widely known today as a 600-mile (965-kilometer) road which is spans from the area in San Diego near the Mission San Diego del Alcalá to the Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma.

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The Spanish began using the trail in 1690, when Alonso de León, a Spanish explorer, crossed the Rio Grande heading to eastern Texas to establish missions. He followed routes previously used as Indian trails and trade routes.

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By the late 16th century, El Camino Real stretched some 900 miles north from Mexico City to the frontier mining district of Santa Barbara in Nueva Vizcaya (modern-day Chihuahua).

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While it is possible to follow the general route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro today on modern highways in New Mexico and Texas, many miles of the Trail cross private lands and many of the most significant trail sites are privately owned or managed by tribal, state, or municipal agencies.

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Some of the California State designated El Camino Real consists of highways or other restricted-access roads, and cannot be walked. The California Mission Walkers have established a route consisting of a network of trails and roads that follow closely along the original historic Camino.

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The Camino Real de los Tejas is a historic route that stretches from the Texas-Mexico border to Natchitoches, La. It's called the Camino Real, which translates to royal road, because the roads were once part of Spain's empire in the Americas.

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Public bathrooms are not frequent on the Camino de Santiago. But, cafes, restaurants and bars are frequent, you may find one or two during the day, and these all have bathrooms that customers can use.

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It may be comforting for you to know that the locals have been supporting pilgrims on the Camino for 1,000 years. As I learned during my journey, they are very happy and proud to welcome walkers and keep them safe along the way. And there is another important fact to know: crimes along the Camino are extremely rare.

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