Desert Speaks

Origins Of A Royal Road

The trade route of El Camino Real (The Royal Road) served as an interchange of cultures and riches for the Puebloan people hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans. Later, the route became the tattered thread that sewed together the Spanish strongholds in southern Mexico to the tiny, distant settlements of Nuevo (New) Mexico. Take a three-part journey along this historic route of communication, conquest and gold, from Mexico City through the Chihuahuan Desert to the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico and explore the natural and cultural wonders that dot the landscape along the way. The journey begins at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, considered by many to be the most religious site in Mexico. From there, journey into the jungle landscape outside the city and marvel at the ornate buildings of the ancient settlement, Tepotzlan, and the Aztec ruins of Tula, which lies on the original El Camino Real. The next stop on the route is Queretero, a city known for its Romanesque aqueduct system that carried water to the parched city. Also explore a subterranean drainage system that has been turned into roads in the mining town of Guanajuato, known primarily as the hotbed of Mexican independence from Spain.