El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail Act
PL 106-307 (S.366), enacted 10/13/2000

114 STAT. 1074 
PUBLIC LAW 106-307—OCT. 13, 2000 
Public Law 106-307 
106th Congress 
An Act 
Oct. 13, 2000 
[S. 366] 
El Camino Real 
de Tierra 
Adentro National 
Historic Trail 
Act. 
New Mexico. 
Texas. 
16 u s e 1241 
note. 
To amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real de Tierra 
Adentro as a National Historic Trail. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the "El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro 
National Historic Trail Act". 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Royal Road 
of the Interior), served as the primary route between the colo-
nial Spanish capital of Mexico City £ind the Spanish provincial 
capitals at San Juan de Los Caballeros (1598-1600), San 
Gabriel (1600-1609) and then Santa Fe (1610-1821). 
(2) The portion of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro that 
resided in what is now the United States extended between 
El Paso, Texas and present San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, 
a distance of 404 miles; 
(3) El Camino Real is a symbol of the cultural interaction 
between nations and ethnic groups and of the commercial 
exchange that made possible the development and growth of 
the borderland; 
(4) American Indian groups, especially the Pueblo Indians 
of the Rio Grande, developed trails for trade long before Euro-
peEins arrived; 
(5) In 1598, Juan de Oiiate led a Spanish military expedi-
tion along those trails to establish the northern portion of 
El Camino Real; 
(6) During the Mexican National Period and part of the 
United States Territorial Period, El Camino Real de Tierra 
Adentro facilitated the emigration of people to New Mexico 
£ind other areas that would become the United States; 
(7) The exploration, conquest, colonization, settlement, reli-
gious conversion, and military occupation of a large area of 
the borderlands was made possible by this route, whose histor-
ical period extended from 1598 to 1882; 
PUBLIC LAW 106-307—OCT. 13, 2000 
114 STAT. 1075 
(8) American 
Indians, 
European 
emigrants, 
miners, 
ranchers, soldiers, and missionaries used El Camino Real 
during the historic development of the borderlands. These trav-
elers promoted cultural interaction among Spaniards, other 
Europeans, American Indians, Mexicans, and Americans; 
(9) El Camino Real fostered the spread of Catholicism, 
mining, an extensive network of commerce, and ethnic and 
cultural traditions including music, folklore, medicine, foods, 
architecture, language, place names, irrigation systems, and 
Spanish law. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION. 
Section 5(a) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 
1244(a)) is amended— 
(1) by designating the paragraphs relating to the California 
National Historic Trail, the Pony Express National Historic 
Trail, and the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail 
as paragraphs (18), (19), and (20), respectively; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
"(21) EL CAMINO REAL DE TIERRA ADENTRO.— 
"(A) El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Royal 
Road of the Interior) National Historic Trail, a 404 mile 
long trail from the Rio Grande near El Paso, Texas to 
San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, as generally depicted on 
the maps entitled 'United States Route: El Camino Real 
de Tierra Adentro', contained in the report prepared pursu-
ant to subsection (b) entitled 'National Historic Trail Feasi-
bility Study and Environmental Assessment: El Camino 
Real de Tierra Adentro, Texas-New Mexico', dated March 
1997. 
"(B) MAP.—^A map generally depicting the trail shall 
be on file and available for public inspection in the Office 
of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. 
"(C) ADMINISTRATION.—The Trail shall be administered 
by the Secretary of the Interior, 
"(D) LAND ACQUISITION.—NO lands or interests therein 
outside the exterior boimdaries of any federally adminis-
tered area may be acquired by the Federal Government 
for El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro except with the 
consent of the owner thereof. 
"(E) VOLUNTEER GROUPS; CONSULTATION.—The Sec-
retary of the Interior shall— 
"(i) encourage volunteer trail groups to participate 
in the development and maintenance of the trail; and 
"(ii) consult with other affected Federal, State, 
local governmental, and tribal agencies in the adminis-
tration of the trail. 
79-194 O - 00 - 7: QL 3 Part 2 
114 STAT. 1076 
PUBLIC LAW 106-307—OCT. 13, 2000 
"(F) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary of 
the Interior may coordinate with United States and Mexi-
can pubHc and non-governmental organizations, academic 
institutions, and, in consultation with the Secretary of 
State, the government of Mexico and its political subdivi-
sions, for the purpose of exchanging trail information and 
research, fostering trail preservation and educational pro-
grams, providing technical assistance, and working to 
establish an international historic trail with complemen-
tary preservation and education programs in each nation.". 
Approved October 13, 2000. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 366: 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 106-22 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 145 (1999): Nov. 19, considered and passed Senate. 
Vol. 146 (2000): Oct. 3, considered and passed House.