Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
The Royal Road of the Interior Land, linking Mexico City with Santa Fe in New Mexico from the late 16th century.
Overview
Opened northward behind the silver strikes of Zacatecas and extended by the colonizing expedition of Juan de Onate in 1598, the road ran some 2,500 kilometers across the high plateau of New Spain. Wagon trains carried mercury for silver refining, tools, cloth and church goods north, and silver, hides, wool and salt south. It was the main link between Spanish New Mexico and the colonial heartland for nearly three centuries before the Santa Fe Trail and the railways reoriented trade. The Mexican section was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, and the United States portion is a National Historic Trail.
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