JOURNEYS ON AN ANCIENT ROAD El Camino Real de Tierra ...

JOURNEYS ON AN ANCIENT ROAD
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Auto Tour
EL PASO COUNTY
New Mexico
Santa Fe
Albuquerque
El Paso
Cíudad Juarez
Mexico
Texas
Trail History
In the late 1650s Fray García founded the mission of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe on
the south bank of the Rio Grande; it still stands in downtown Ciudad Juárez. The Pueblo
Indian Revolt of 1680 sent Spanish colonists and Tigua Indians of New Mexico fleeing
southward to take refuge at the pass, transplanting the names of New Mexico river
pueblos, including La Isleta and Socorro, to the El Paso area. By 1682 five settlements
had been founded in a chain along the south bank of the Rio Grande-El Paso del Norte,
San Lorenzo, Senecú, Ysleta, and Socorro. The large number of vineyards produced
wine and brandy said to have ranked with the best in the realm.
Audio Tour
The three-CD set, Portrait in Sound of an Ancient Road, is narrated by Jack Loeffler and
produced by the Bureau of Land Management. The CD is available for sale online, at
www.publiclands.org, and in person at the Public Lands Information Center (1474
Rodeo Road in Santa Fe), or Wide Open Spaces (6501 Fourth Street NW in
Albuquerque). We have selected the tracks most appropriate for traveling through El
Paso County.
28
DONA ANA
273
NEW MEXICO
54
375
El Paso
478
76
Fort Bliss McGregor Range
EL PASO
20
10
OTERO
62
TEXAS
HUDSPETH
suggested tracks:
volume I
Track 1
Track 9
Track 16
Track 18
Track 19
Track 20
Track 21
Track 22
volume II
Introduction to El Camino Real
Oñate’s Origins in Zacatecas
Blacksmith’s Tools
Oñate in San Bartolome
Vicente Zaldivar Blazes the Trail
Crossing Nueva Vizcaya
Reaching the Rio Grande
First Thanksgiving
Track 1 About the Pueblo Revolt of 1680
Track 35 Cuando de los Cazadores
ESRI, USGS, BLM, TeleAtlas
volume III
Track 3 Traffic Along El Camino Real
Track 4 Contrabando del Paso
Track 10 Execution of Maximilian
PAGE 1
More information on the national historic trail may be found at: www.CaminoRealHeritage.org/trail

JOURNEYS ON AN ANCIENT ROAD
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Auto Tour
EL PASO COUNTY
Franklin
Mountains
Texas
20
Fort Bliss
Military Reservation
New Mexico
Keystone Park
Boundary Marker #1
Oñate
Crossing
Mexico
85
El Paso
357
Mission Trail/Ysleta Pueblo
Cíudad
Juarez
Mission Trail/
Socorro
258
Mission Trail/
San Elizario
Guide to Auto Tour Route
(North to South)
> Take New Mexico Highway 478 south
> NM 478 becomes Texas Highway 20 at the state line
> Follow the road south to Texas Highway 375
> Go south on 375
> Turn south onto Texas Highway 20
25
85
478
357
U.S. Interstate
U.S. Route
State Highway
County Road
Historic Site/Point of Interest
Auto Tour Route
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
National Historic Trail
PAGE 2
0 5 10 miles
More information on the national historic trail may be found at: www.CaminoRealHeritage.org/trail

JOURNEYS ON AN ANCIENT ROAD
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Auto Tour
EL PASO COUNTY
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Historic and Cultural Attractions
©
Oñate’s Crossing
A small plaque commemorates Oñate's crossing of the Rio Grande on the southern portion of
the trail behind what is now La Hacienda Restaurant on Paisano Drive.
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Keystone Park
This park is designated to preserve and protect the Keystone Wetlands and Archaeological
site through the study of the archaeological site and the restoration and enhancement of the
wetlands; to foster an appreciation for the beauty of Chihuahuan Desert through the Desert
Botanical gardens; to provide for the education of adults and children of the region, the nation
and the world about the plants and wildlife of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert and the
Archaic Period civilization.
©
Boundary Marker #1
In 1891, a boundary commission was appointed by the U.S. and Mexican governments to
resurvey and mark the border from El Paso/ Juarez west to the Pacific. 258 six-foot tall, iron
and concrete columns were fabricated in El Paso, and placed along the international
boundary, bearing plaques that read “Boundary of the United States [or Mexico], treaty of
1853, reestablished by the treaties of 1882–1889” in English and Spanish. Because the
survey began in Texas, the markers were renumbered, with the first on the Rio Grande, near
Oñate’s first crossing.
F
Ysleta del Sur Mission
On October 12, 1680, midway between the Spanish settlement of Santísimo Sacramento and
the Indian settlement of San Antonio, the first Mass in Texas was celebrated at a site near
that of present Ysleta, which was placed on what is now the Texas side by the shifting river in
1829; Ysleta thus has a claim to being the oldest town in Texas.
Mission Ysleta, in El Paso, Texas, was first erected in 1692. Through a series of floods and
fires, the mission has been rebuilt three times. Named for the patron saint of the Tiguas, the
mission was first known as San Antonio de la Ysleta. The beautiful silver bell tower was added
in the 1880s. The missions of El Paso have a tremendous history spanning three centuries.
They are considered the longest, continuously occupied religious structures within the United
States and as far as we know, the churches have never missed one day of services.
F
Socorro Mission
Built of adobe in 1692, Mission Socorro, in El Paso, Texas, also experienced natural disasters
through her history lending her to be rebuilt several times. The famous Statue of Saint Michael
was brought to the mission from Mexico by oxcart in the early 1800s. One will also find an
excellent example of Indian and Spanish architecture including carved ceiling beams called
“vigas” and bell tower.
PAGE 3
More information on the national historic trail may be found at: www.CaminoRealHeritage.org/trail

JOURNEYS ON AN ANCIENT ROAD
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Auto Tour
EL PASO COUNTY
Dolor sit abetsen fome ab. Dolor sit
abetsen fome ab.
Crossing the
Border
As so many thousands have
done over the centuries, cross
the Rio Grande to discover the
rich history found on the
southern shores. Since El Paso
del Norte was divided in two by
the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, the city south of the
Rio Grande, Ciudad Juarez,
has flourished, growing to four
times the size of its American
neighbor. The city features a
fantastic museum, as well as
historic sites such as the
mission of Nuestra Señora de
Guadalupe, built in 1659, and
the headquarters of Pancho
Villa and Pascual Orozco
during their 1911 occupation of
the city, now the Museo
Historico,
PAGE 4
F
San Elizario Mission
San Elizario, in El Paso, Texas, was built first as a military presidio to protect the citizens of
the river settlements from Apache attacks in 1789. The structure as it stands today has
interior pillars, detailed in gilt, and an extraordinary painted tin ceiling. Listed on the National
Register. The area around the mission is often enjoyed as a historic walking tour.
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Magoffin Home State Historic Site
Built in 1875 by Joseph Magoffin, this 19-room adobe home is a prime example of Southwest
territorial style architecture. Three generations of the Magoffin Family lived in the house.
Magoffin was an El Paso booster, active in a range of civic and political affairs, and served as
mayor for four terms. His father, James Wiley Magoffin, was a trader on the Santa Fe and
Chihuahua trails, and accompanied Stephen Watts Kearny from Missouri to Santa Fe in 1846.
Visitors to the home enjoy docent-led tours; several annual events are held as well.
F
Chamizal National Memorial
The Chamizal Treaty was a milestone in diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United
States in 1963. Chamizal National Memorial was established to commemorate this peaceful
settlement which was an end to a century-long boundary dispute between the neighboring
countries. Far more than mere acreage, Chamizal is an idea, a dynamic process, dedicated to
furthering the spirit of understanding and goodwill between two nations that share one border.
Utilizing the visual, literary and performing arts as a medium of interchange, Chamizal serves
as an open door to help people better understand not only other cultures, but their own
cultural roots as well.
This 55-acre urban park features spectacular views of the Franklin Mountains, a nature trail,
and a picnic area. Cultural events are staged here throughout the year.
Natural Attractions
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Franklin Mountains State Park
Overlooking the Rio Grande, the Franklin Mountains are the northern ramparts of the Paso
del Norte (Pass of the North), leading from Mexico into what is now the United States.
For hundreds of years, native Americans, soldiers, priests, traders, adventurers, gold-seekers,
entrepreneurs, and colonists have passed through the gap in both directions in an endless
procession of expansion, settlement, raiding, and conquest.
Today, the Franklin Mountains are surrounded by urban El Paso, and are managed by Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department.
Contacts
Franklin Mountains State Park 915-566-6441
Magoffin Home State Historic Site 915-533-5147
Keystone Park 915-584-0563
Chamizal National Memorial 915-532-7273
El Paso Convention and Visitor’s Bureau 915-534-0601
Ciudad Juarez Oficina de Convenciones y Visitantes 888-654-0394
Museo Historico de Cd. Juarez 612-4707 or 612-2969
More information on the national historic trail may be found at: www.CaminoRealHeritage.org/trail