Travel Encounters

Travel Encounters. . Along El Camino Real de los Tejas , On a good day, a Spanish carreta, or wooden freight wagon, could travel up to 18 miles before sunset along El Camino Real de los Tejas. In the 1750s, a driver might pass a group of Franciscan friars in charge of the mission of San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes (now in present-day Louisiana). Next he might overtake several Caddo, possibly carrying a bois d'arc bow, corn, or other foodstuffs to trade farther west along the trail. In the distance, he may see sunlight glinting off the helmets and gun barrels of Spanish soldiers crowding the path., In the space of a few miles our traveler has encountered three of the most influential types of traffic on El Camino Real de los Tejas: religious, trade, and military., "The camino real, or more aptly the caminos reales, is more than a route, more than a series of parajes between two end points. It is a complex set of relationships between travelers and nature, buyers and sellers, governors and governed." , -Dr. Jesús de la Teja, Professor of Southwestern Studies, Texas State University, Captions , Missionaries , The Franciscan order of the Catholic Church was responsible for establishing missions in East Texas beginning in 1690. They hoped to convert the local Native Americans to Christianity but did not meet with great success., Ruts in the Road , Constant traffic over many years created ruts, known as swales, in the road. Some are still visible after hundreds of years. And in places, you can find several parallel road swales that allowed the traveler to choose the best route for that day's journey., Soldiers , Patrols and military escorts protected colonists and traders and kept vital pathways safe for travelers., Trade , Despite the Increase in European traffic, Native Americans continued to trade along El Camino Real as they had for centuries. The Spanish and French both wanted to establish trade relations with the Native Americans and imported a variety of new materials into Texas., Transportation , The carreta was the primary vehicle used by Spanish settlers and traders. Its trademark wooden wheels measured up to seven feet in diameter, and little, if any, metal was used in its construction. The carreta could be pulled by mules or oxen. The type of animal and the weight of the load determined the number of miles traveled in a day., Illustration: Howell Colson