The El Camino Real Historic Trail Site was a center about the culture and history about the El Camino Real trail and the colonization of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

. The center, an official New Mexico Historic Site, opened in 2005 and closed in 2016. The Center featured exhibit panels and artifacts about the people who traveled along the trail, the desert and life in the 18th century.

Mission

The center commemorated the heritage of the antiquated road that connected

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

with Santa Fe, New Mexico in the region once known as New Spain. The center was operated by the

New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs is a state agency of the New Mexico government. Created as the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) in 1980, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs was elevated to a state Cabinet-level agency in 200 ...

until it closed. The US Bureau of Land Management and the countries of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

contributed to the project. The facility was completed in 2005 and was designed by Dekker / Perich / Sabatini Architects and Engineers of Albuquerque. The museum closed permanently in November 2016.

Location

It was situated approximately halfway between the cities of

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

and

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. It was accessible from Interstate 25 at exit 115, approximately 35 miles south of Socorro, New Mexico. Former

New Mexico House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , ...

member

Don Tripp Don L. Tripp (born February 23, 1946 in Pasadena, California) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives for District 49 from January 1999 to 2017. Education Tripp earned his BA fr ...

praised the design of the museum while being sharply critical of the decision to site it "in the middle of nowhere." Former Socorro mayor Ravi Bhasker attributed the museum's failure to its inconvenient location, labeling as "impossible" consultants' projections of 100,000 visitors per year. Actual visitor figures were below 8,000 per year.

Displays

The site featured a display of non-motorized travel aimed at providing modern motorists with an appreciation for the difficulty of traversing the desert environment. An outdoor amphitheater featured traditional music heard along the journey reflecting the diverse folkways that developed as many cultures met on the legendary

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sing ...

External links

El Camino Real Historic Trail Site
- official site of the Site's friend's organization.

References

Hispanic and Latino American culture in New Mexico History museums in New Mexico Museums in Socorro County, New Mexico Latino museums in the United States Ethnic museums in New Mexico 2005 establishments in New Mexico 2016 disestablishments in New Mexico {{NewMexico-museum-stub