|
|
|
 Entertainment | Books | March 2008 
Two Guides Lead Back to (Really) Old Mexico
 John Sledge - Press-Register
go to original
The stories were fantastic - seven cities of gold, their walls glinting in the sun, their doorways bejewelled with turquoise, their inhabitants healthy and happy. In an effort to confirm these tales and claim any riches for the Spanish crown, Franciso Vzquez de Coronado set out from Mexico in 1540 and penetrated as far as what is today Kansas before he returned disappointed.
Within 50 years, yet another conquistador, Juan de O ate, marched north to establish Catholicism among the natives that Coronado had encountered, to build missions and to extend Mexico City's administrative reach. In doing so, he created one of the most famous roads in history - the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Royal Road of the Interior Land). Both expeditions played a profound role in shaping the modern American Southwest.
Two recent books provide fascinating insight into these colonial forays - "The Coronado Expedition From the Distance of 460 Years" (New Mexico, $45), edited by Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint, and "Following the Royal Road: A Guide to the Historic Camino Real de Tierra Adentro" (New Mexico, paper, $19.95) by Hal Jackson. The first presents a contemporary scholarly overview of Coronado's story, the other a fact-filled and useful guide for the adventurous tourist interested in retracing an ancient route.
"The Coronado Expedition" includes 17 papers by archaeologists, historians, anthropologists, geologists and even an astronomer. Each paper closely examines a particular aspect of the story, helping illumine the whole. The topics considered include the expedition's financing, makeup and route. There is also extensive analysis of the artifacts discovered at various sites in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. These artifacts are especially interesting, including an engraved spear point, a stirrup, a spur, a cereal bowl, crossbow bolts and the distinctive horseshoe nails favored by the conquistadors. Because the latter were so easily lost along the way, they have played an important role in determining exactly where the men camped on their journey.
Considerable attention is also paid to the people who traveled with Coronado. The original muster roll still exists but enumerates only the European participants. In the essay "What's Missing From This Picture?," Richard Flint expands the scope, revealing that in addition to the 288 Spaniards listed, there were hundreds more indios amigos (Indian friends), servants and black slaves, whose numbers brought the total column strength up to some 1,500. In addition, there were over a thousand animals.
In these essays, no aspect of the men's daily lives en route is left unexamined. What they wore, what they ate, even what they might have thought are all studied. Not a few cherished stereotypes fall, not least of them the image of the Spanish conquistador as an armored knight with a plumed helmet. Turns out most of them were garbed in plain quilted cotton tunics, conical helmets and sandals.
In "Following the Royal Road," Jackson presents an easy-to-use guide to the route, broken down into small sections. The Royal Road runs from Mexico City all the way into northern New Mexico. In 2000, the U.S. Congress designated the American portion a National Historical Trail, and there is a visitor's center near Socorro, N.M. Though this section offers the most interpretation, Jackson presents the full route, including maps and aerial shots. Surprisingly, many portions of the old road are easily visible even from the ground, and a fascinating mix of ghost towns, ruins and historic battlefields and towns pepper the way.
While most readers probably won't be moved to visit some of the highlighted places - like the "mother ditch" in downtown Santa Fe - other locales are decidedly rewarding for young and old alike. These include Santa Fe's many other charms, including the Palace of Governors and St. Francis Cathedral, as well as plenty of good restaurants and bars to relieve the weary, latter-day conquistador.
Jackson closes with sound advice about how to travel the Mexican portion of the Royal Road, reassuring the reader that the modern roads are good there, as are the restaurants. Regarding crime, he is of the opinion that his Albuquerque neighborhood is probably far more dangerous. As with any trip, of course, one should exercise common sense.
John Sledge edits the Press-Register's Books page. He may be reached at the Press-Register, P.O. Box 2488, Mobile, AL 36652. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us