El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail - Things To Do (U.S. National Park Service)

Image of historic La Mesilla, New Mexico, plaza with shade trees and adobe style buildings

An NPS Photo

Founded in 1853, the historic town of La Mesilla was originally located in Mexico and became part of the United States after the Gadsden Purchase of 1854. The town became a stop on the Butterfield Overland mail route, which linked St. Louis and San Francisco. It lost its prominence when bypassed by the railroad in 1881. Today, the historic La Mesilla plaza welcomes trail travelers to enjoy its hospitality and culture.

Numerous activities are available along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail. These include hiking, driving, visiting museums and visitor centers, and touring historic communities established during the Camino Real era.

The Official Map and Guide brochure was finished in 2011. Enjoy!

The Civil War: 150 Years
The issues at the heart of the Civil War remain relevant today: equality for all Americans, the appropriate reach of the federal government, and the effort to reconcile differing cultural values under a single national flag. In 1858, Abraham Lincoln warned that "A house divided against itself cannot stand," but most Americans were confident that the forces of cohesion in the young republic would continue to triumph over the forces of division. The Civil War culminated 80 years of sectional tensions over economics, cultural values, the extent and reach of the federal government, but, most importantly, the role of slavery in American society. The relevancy of history - and of the Civil War sites of the National Park Service - is to help us better understand the issues, trials, sacrifices, and struggles that past generations endured to bring us where we are today.

Join us in experiencing the past through living history events at El Rancho del las Golondrinas, which connect the Civil War to the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro NHT.

http://golondrinas.org/Calendar_of_Events/index.html#May

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