[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12529-S12530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      EL CAMINO REAL DE TIERRA ADENTRO NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL ACT

  The bill (S. 2039) to amend the National Trails System Act to 
designate El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a National Historic 
Trail, was considered, ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
read the third time, and passed; as follows:

                                S. 2039

       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.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Royal Road of the 
     Interior), served as the primary route between the colonial 
     Spanish capital of Mexico City and the Spanish provincial 
     capitals at San Juan de Los Caballeros (1598-1600), San 
     Gabriel (1600-1609) and Santa Fe (1610-1821);
       (2) the portion of El Camino Real 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 
     Europeans arrived;
       (5) in 1598, Juan de Onate led a Spanish military 
     expedition 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 facilitated 
     the emigration of people to New Mexico and other areas that 
     were to become part of the United States;
       (7) the exploration, conquest, colonization, settlement, 
     religious conversion, and military occupation of a large area 
     of the borderland was made possible by El Camino Real, the 
     historical period of which extended from 1598 to 1882;
       (8) American Indians, European emigrants, miners, ranchers, 
     soldiers, and missionaries used El Camino Real during the 
     historic development of the borderland, promoting cultural 
     interaction among Spaniards, other Europeans, American 
     Indians, Mexicans, and Americans; and
       (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

[[Page S12530]]

     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) In general.--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 pursuant to 
     subsection (b) entitled `National Historic Trail Feasibility 
     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 land or interest in land 
     outside the exterior boundaries of any federally administered 
     area may be acquired by the United States for the trail 
     except with the consent of the owner of the land or interest 
     in land.
       ``(E) Volunteer groups; consultation.--The Secretary of the 
     Interior shall--
       ``(i) encourage volunteer trail groups to participate in 
     the development and maintenance of the trail; and
       ``(ii) consult with affected Federal, State, and tribal 
     agencies in the administration of the trail.
       ``(F) Coordination of activities.--The Secretary of the 
     Interior may coordinate with United States and Mexican public 
     and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, 
     and, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the 
     government of Mexico and its political subdivisions, for the 
     purpose of exchanging trail information and research, 
     fostering trail preservation and educational programs, 
     providing technical assistance, and working to establish an 
     international historic trail with complementary preservation 
     and education programs in each nation.''.

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