David K
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Finding El Camino Real in Baja
This is the kind of stuff I like to read about and then go there pysically and make contact with it! This is California history of the 1700's, the
royal road from Loreto to El Rosario, and beyond!
Here is the link to the multi page article:
http://www.vivabaja.com/ECR/
Here is the first page:
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EL CAMINO REAL in Baja, Part 1
"El Camino Real" means The Royal Road or as Harry Crosby calls it "The King's Highway". There actually are many Camino Reals in the New World, built
after the Spanish conquered most of the Western Hemisphere.
The purpose was to connect important points and population centers in the new territories. Gold and other treasures, including tax revenues, were
transported back to the king, in part on the various "Royal Roads".
In California, we are most familiar with El Camino Real as the route Franciscan padre Junipero Serra traveled when he established a chain of missions
here, beginning in 1769. Today, four-lane paved expressways bear the name El Camino Real wherever the new street was built on or near the old trail.
Junipero Serra and the El Camino Real both began not in San Diego, but 700 miles further south, in LORETO.
In fact, long before Serra and his Franciscan brothers came to Baja California, the chain of missions and the connecting Camino Real were well
established by the Jesuit Order (Society of Jesus) of the Catholic Church, starting in 1697!
After the end of the mission period in Baja, much of the Camino Real continued to be the main route of transportation until the automobile arrived on
the scene.
Highway 1, from El Rosario to Tijuana is built on or very near the original trail with only a couple of exceptions.
Three modern travel writers have documented the El Camino Real to help us find the old trail as it winds through Baja. Unlike Alta California, almost
no signs or paved roads show the route in Baja from Loreto to El Rosario.
The first modern travel account was written by Arthur North, in 1905, named Camp and Camino in Lower California . North is considered to be the first
"tourist" to travel the length of Baja for adventure and research.
The next detailed account is an unpublished report (with maps) by Howard Gulick in 1955. Gulick was researching Baja for his future Lower California
Guidebook . He noted the location of older trails he saw crossing the newer auto dirt roads both from the ground and from aerial photos he was
privileged to take. Gulick and co-author Peter Gerhard rode with mules on sections of El Camino Real, as well.
The unpublished report and personal conversations with Gulick was of great assistance to the third author, Harry Crosby in his research for The King's
Highway in Baja California , published in 1974. Crosby traveled the entire route of the old trail by mule with local guides. His book contains many
photos and maps of the entire Camino Real.
>From the above named authors, I will attempt to provide you with details of the location of El Camino Real in the following installments. Have
your Baja Almanac handy, see: Baja Almanac web site.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64845
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Page 2
EL CAMINO REAL in Baja, Part 2, Loreto to Comondu
Baja Almanac Page 42:
>From the first California mission of LORETO to the second, Mision San Francisco Javier, the mission trail utilized the canyon of LAS PARRAS to the
first site of Mision San Javier which today is called RANCHO VIEJO. The modern auto road is built in the same canyon.
One tenth of a mile west of RANCHO VIEJO the Camino Real splits. To the left (south) goes the trail to SAN JAVIER (5.5 mi.). To the right (west) the
Camino Real heads for Comondu and beyond.
On the Camino Real, 1.0 mi. from RANCHO VIEJO the old trail is joined by the Comondu auto road coming from the Loreto-San Javier road (junction at 1.0
mi. past Rancho Viejo).
2.2 mi. from Rancho Viejo another trail joins in from the south. This was the direct Camino Real from San Javier to Comondu, branching from the
Loreto-San Javier trail at EL HORNO (Los Hornoso in the Almanac). This small triangle of trails shows the Jesuits built many roads to offer direct
routes, much like modern highways.
4.0 miles from Rancho Viejo, the Camino Real turns left from the Comondu auto road and follows ARROYO SANTA ISABEL.
Baja Almanac Page 41:
EL PALMARITO is just south of the Camino Real which goes to a visita (visiting station) of San Javier known as Santa Rosalia (renamed Santa
Roasalillita). A stone chapel ruin remained in 1955. Santa Rosalillita is not shown in the Almanac, but the Camino Real is. The old trail goes
westerly for about 5 miles from the edge of the map (just above El Palmarito), then turns almost to the north and goes to QUI??.
The original Camino Real continued north from Qui?? to San Miguel Comondu (reaches top of Almanac page 41 at letter O, crosses the extreme lower left
corner of Almanac page 40, and reaches SAN MIGUEL COMONDU, on map page 39.
When the newer mission of SAN JOSE COMONDU was moved to just north of San Miguel, the Camino Real was re-alligned at Qui?? to go more directly to San
Jose Comondu passing between CERRO CAPI and CERRO COLORADO, on Almanac page 40.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64845
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Page 3
EL CAMINO REAL in Baja, Part 3, Comondu to La Purisima
Baja Almanac page 39:
The original Jesuit Camino Real left the Comondu valley at SAN MIGUEL (de Comondu). However, after that mision was closed in 1737 and moved
to/absorbed by the relocated SAN JOSE de COMONDU (just two miles away), the "King's Highway" was also moved.
>From SAN JOSE COMONDU the trail first went to EL PABELLON and a modern graded dirt road was built on or near the mission trail in this section.
>From EL PABELLON, the Camino Real is shown partly in the Baja Almanac going directly towards LA PURISIMA.
The trail passes just south of a peak named CERRO JESUS DEL MONTE. Jesus del Monte was an important point on the old trail because of a large tinaja
(water hole) about 20 feet by 60 feet in size. This spot became a visita of the mission at Comondu and a cut stone chapel was still visible and
photographed by Crosby, 30 years ago.
The name 'Jesus del Monte' was derived form a natural formation on a near-by volcanic cinder cone that resembled Jesus and the cross to early
travelers.
The next point on the old trail is EL RENEGADO then the trail passes along the east side of CERRO TEZONTLE, a mountain once mined for porous building
stone that was highly esteemed.
The next place name on the original Baja road was a little oasis called SAN VICENTE.
When Harry Crosby arrived at Rancho San Vicente he was made welcome by Maximiliano Arce and presented with fruit from Arce's orchard. One fruit that
was interesting was the 'limon real' (royal lemon), a pear shaped citrus that appeared to be a hybrid of lemon and grapefruit.
>From San Vicente the Camino Real continued to LA PURISIMA and dropped into that valley via switchbacks, that can still be seen.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64845
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Page 4
EL CAMINO REAL in Baja, Part 4, La Purisima to Guadalupe
Baja Almanac page 39:
The Camino Real leaves La Purisima to the north, climbing directly out of the canyon and crosses MESA LAS MESAS then decends in ARROYO PURISIMA VIEJA.
The old trail was badly erroded when Crosby travel here, 30 years ago. But, it can be seen where it joins the Paso Hondo automobile road about 7 miles
northwest from San Isidro.
PURISIMA VIEJA was the original site of the mission La Purisima Concepcion. The Jesuits tried to locate their missions close to Indian villages
('rancherias'), but often the water source, which was enough for drinking, was not large enough for also growing crops, so a new site was established.
PASO HONDO and SAN JOSE DE GUAJADEMI (San Jose de los Arces) is on the Camino Real. At San Jose, the trail has a major junction.
The oldest route went right (northeast) directly for Mulege, near the gulf. In the 1760's, most travelers used a new route that took the Camino real
northwest along ARROYO AGUA VERDE and headed for the mission of Guadalupe, in the mountains.
Baja Almanac page 36:
Some of El Camino Real is shown starting at the bottom of the map by 112?15' longitude (between I & J). ARROYO LAS CHIVAS is reached and where the
Camino Real continues north, another trail (traveled by Crosby) makes a slight detour and goes to EL REPARITO, LAS CHIVAS, EL TULE, LA VINORAMA and
rejoins the old camino at SAN MARTIN.
The next section goes over a ridge to ARROYO SAN RAYMUNDO then upstream to SAN MIGUEL, a major visita of Mision Guadalupe. Ruins are still visible at
San Miguel.
SAN ESTANISLAO and SAN JUAN are along El Camino Real as it continues northward, finally arriving at MISION GUADALUPE (1720-1795).
>From the diary of Fr. Junipero Serra, 1769
On the Camino Real, between La Purisima and Guadalupe, Serra had an interesting encounter...
"I met there with about ten Indian families: men, women, boys and girls. When I asked them what they were doing there, they answered, with much
sorrow, that they belonged to the Guadalupe Mission, not to any particular rancheria, but to the principal village, and that the Father, for lack of
food, had been forced to send them to the mountains to look for food, and that, not being used to that way of life, they had no success."
"They suffered very much, especially at seeing their babies starve and hearing them cry..."
Serra provided relief with his supply of ground corn from which he prepared 'atole'. He then instructed the families to return to Guadalupe, as he was
aware a supply ship had arrived at Mulege for Mision Guadalupe's needs.
They thanked the good Father by singing a hymn about the love of God, Serra found very touching.
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