Blanca in Costilla County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Trails Through Time
| | Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic & Historic Byway | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 2025
1. Trails Through Time Marker
Trails throughout the San Luis Valley tell many stories of those who have lived and visited here. They speak of prehistoric animals, bands of native hunters and gatherers, Spanish explorers, Mexican traders, American soldiers, and many others.
Those who traversed here have come on foot, on the backs of horses or mules, in wagons or caretas (small Mexican carts with wooden wheels), and later in trains or automobiles. All who have come have experienced the beauty of the area, along with its wild grandeur.
In 1779, Juan Bautista de Anza walked near here on his way to battle the Comanches. Traveling across the San Luis Valley by moonlight, he stumbled upon an ancient trail. This same trail would later become a series of well-worn wagon roads used by settlers moving into the area. Over the last century, the wagon roads have given way to modern highways. The ancient trail has truly become a trail through time.
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You are standing on the north branch of Old Spanish National Historic Trail, a trade route between Mexican settlements in northern New Mexico and southern California (1829-1848).
Aρo (year) 1858 was
this page online
Erected by Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Commission, Colorado Historical Society, Colorado Department of Transportation, and The Nature Conservancy.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Hispanic Americans • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1779.
Location. 37° 26.108′ N, 105° 30.732′ W. Marker is in Blanca, Colorado, in Costilla County. It is at the intersection of Main Street (U.S. 160) and Weaver Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Main Street. The marker is beside the sidewalk in front of Blanca Town Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 601 Main Street, Blanca CO 81123, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and in the San Luis Valley. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Courtesy Lorrie Crawford
2. Marker detail: Old Spanish Trail Map
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The San Luis Southern Railway (approx. Ό mile away); Southern San Luis Valley RR D500 (approx. Ό mile away); Fort Garland / Buffalo Soldiers (approx. 4½ miles away); a different marker also named Fort Garland (approx. 4½ miles away); Costilla County Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.1 miles away); "The Magic Dog" (approx. 5.7 miles away); On Sacred Ground (approx. 5.7 miles away); Welcome "Caminante" to ... (approx. 5.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blanca.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Fort Garland (was approx. 4½ miles away but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Juan Bautista de Anza versus Cuerno Verde (gshaa.org).
(by Renalto Ruggert) Excerpt: On August 15, 1779, the expedition, made up of 103 soldiers of cuera, veterans of the frontier, departed from Santa Fe. Anza's chosen general muster site was San Juan de los Caballeros. Here Anza's dragoons were joined by(Submitted on March 17, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)203 militiamen and 259 Indians from the villages of Canada, Queres and San Carlos.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 20253. Trails Through Time MarkerLooking north across Main Street. Blanca Peak, elevation 14,351 feet, tops the Sierra Blanca Massif of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. Blanca Peak is about 11 miles north of this marker.
On August 20, the Spanish arrived at the Rio de los Conejos, near the present New Mexico-Colorado border. Here they were joined by 200 Apaches and Utes who wanted to fight the common enemy. Anza immediately made an agreement with the bosses. They would have had to obey his orders, on the other hand the booty would then have been divided equally with the soldiers, except for personal captures.
From the 21st to the 23rd the expedition traveled only at night, to avoid enemy lookouts.
On the 27th they arrived at Poncha Pass, a narrow canyon "rarely traversed previously", carved between the Continental Divide, and the Sawatch Mountains in particular, and the Sangre de Cristo Range. It was a very difficult day. Fog and snow made the passage of 800 men and more than 1,000 horses and mules extremely difficult
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 17, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
