[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 110 (Monday, September 18, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7667-H7669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      EL CAMINO REAL DE TIERRA ADENTRO NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL ACT

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2271) to amend the National Trails System Act to designate 
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a National Historic Trail, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2271

       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 colonial 
     Spanish capital of Mexico City and 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 
     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 U.S. 
     Territorial Period, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro 
     facilitated the emigration of people to New Mexico and other 
     areas that would become the United States;
       (7) The exploration, conquest, colonization, settlement, 
     religious conversion, and military occupation of a large area 
     of the borderlands was made possible by this route, whose 
     historical period 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 borderlands. These travelers 
     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

[[Page H7668]]

     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 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 boundaries of any federally administered 
     area may be acquired by the Federal Government for El Camino 
     Real de Tierra Adentro.
       ``(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 other affected Federal, State, local 
     governmental, 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.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2271, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2271 amends the National Trails System Act to 
designate El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a component of the 
National Trails System.
  The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer the 
trail, to encourage volunteer groups to develop and maintain the trail, 
and also to consult with affected Federal, State, local governmental, 
and tribal agencies in its administration. The bill requires owner 
consent for any Federal land acquisition along the trail.
  Additionally, H.R. 2271 authorizes the Secretary to coordinate trail 
activities and programs with the Government of Mexico as well as with 
Mexican nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions.
  Mr. Speaker, this trail is one of several historic trails that has 
had a significant role in the history and development of the United 
States and Mexico. It served as the primary route between the colonial 
Spanish capital of Mexico City and the Spanish provincial capital in 
the modern day city of Santa Fe.
  The trail is approximately 1,800 miles long and existed for an 
extended period from the late 16th century to the late 19th century. 
The portion of the trail that resides in what is now the United States 
extends a distance of 404 miles from the Rio Grande River near El Paso, 
Texas, to San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico. Over its long history, this 
trail was used by various groups and served as a cultural crossroads 
between diverse peoples and cultures.
  Mr. Speaker, I am offering an amendment with this bill which makes 
some technical changes and also strikes the ``consent of the owner'' 
language in the provision dealing with land acquisition. Since most of 
this trail is on Federal land anyway, land acquisition authority 
really, in my opinion, is not necessary.
  I actually in a way am opposed to this amendment myself. But so we 
can move this legislation, we have worked out an agreement with the 
other side that some of us who have some reservations about this 
amendment, we can probably work that out in the future.
  Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2271 and to vote for 
this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  (Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I am both delighted and honored 
to be able to share my thoughts with my colleagues on this occasion of 
the consideration by this body of a bill that would designate the El 
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a National Historic Trail.
  I also want to congratulate and applaud the efforts of the gentleman 
from the great State of Texas and from El Paso for his leadership on 
this issue.
  The Camino Real has already been designated as a Millennium Legacy 
Trail and has been the object of a Sisters Area agreement between two 
waystops on this historic trail, San Francisco del Oro located in 
Chihuahua, Mexico, and Socorro, New Mexico, situated in the heart of my 
home State. It has given rise to other sister cities agreements between 
many other communities in New Mexico and in Mexico.
  For those of my colleagues who may share my love of Southwest 
history, by the way, although portions of this historic trail were used 
in prehistoric times, it was first blazed as a complete trail by the 
expedition led by Juan de Onate in 1598 when he made his way to New 
Mexico to assure its settlement by the Spanish Crown. I am told that 
there is still a plaque in the city of Zacatecas that marks the place 
where this expedition departed on its year-long trek. This winding 
1,800 mile long roadway was the first European trade route in what is 
now the United States.
  My home State of New Mexico as one of the trailheads for this 
incredible road, and the other trailhead lies in Mexico City, has a 
great veneration for this historic route, a route which for too long 
has been overshadowed by younger but better-publicized national trails. 
Yet, this trail has left its indelible imprint on my home State and on 
our national history.
  New Mexico, to this very day, is peopled by Hispanics who trace their 
ancestry directly to many of those original settlers who accompanied 
Juan de Onate in 1598. New Mexico Hispanics still treasure the way of 
life that they tended and shaped over the past 4 centuries and more.
  Hispanic institutions that were carried by the Camino Real del Tierra 
Adentro in the minds and hearts of those Hispanic settlers are part of 
New Mexico's enchanted way of life. New Mexico's old missions, 
scattered along the Camino Real and its branches, date back to the 17th 
century.
  In the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and long before the 
existence of the Santa Fe Trail or the Oregon Trail or the rise of the 
Appalachian Trail in the 18th century, there was already an established 
pattern of commerce over the Camino Real, a pattern that even reached 
out into our vast Great Plains. The flow of people and goods that were 
part of that commerce created and supported strong historic ties 
between New Mexico and Mexico. Indeed, to this day, many Mexican 
families and many New Mexican manito families can trace their roots 
back to the same ancestors who lived in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th 
centuries.
  Before the middle of the last century, the Camino Real de Tierra 
Adentro was still uninterrupted by a frontera, an international border. 
By even before taking of the Southwest by our national government just 
before the middle of the last century, the Camino Real also nurtured 
our country by giving viability to the Santa Fe Trail. As a result, the 
national commerce flowing across the late-opening branch of the Camino 
Real, the Santa Fe Trail, nurtured our Nation's economy when it sorely 
needed that sustenance.
  I am confident that the passage of this legislation today will do the 
same thing. I know that enactment of the legislation we consider today 
will strengthen many common ties between the United States and Mexico 
that are symbolized by and embodied in the Camino Real, important ties 
such as transportation, commerce, and education. I say strengthen 
because we know in New Mexico the Camino Real never closed. It may have 
changed its

[[Page H7669]]

course slightly as well as the ease with which it could be traveled, 
all trails eventually do, but over the centuries and through today, it 
has continued to connect the people of Mexico and the United States.
  Revitalizing it will, undoubtedly, lead to many future discoveries 
that reconnect Hispanic citizens of our two countries even more closely 
through the ties of common family historical and cultural heritage. 
Revitalizing the Camino Real will also allow the larger family of 
Americans to participate in and benefit from that effort. It will lead 
to a more rounded, more holistic view of the history of our continent, 
one that will enable us to continue to discover and explore the 
commonalities that bond our two countries.
  On March 22 of this year, I was privileged to have my office host 
officials of Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia 
when they signed a landmark agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management concerning the recognition, protection, and promotion of the 
Camino Real.

                              {time}  1500

  Consideration of this legislation today demonstrates that the 
agreement signed on March 22 was not a mere paper agreement; rather, it 
provided a remarkable beginning that will lead to increased 
understanding in the future, an understanding that says, when people of 
goodwill will come together to share their fortunes through family, 
historical, cultural and economic connections, they enrich not only 
each other but all of those around them.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to my colleague from the great State of Texas (Mr. Reyes) who 
represents this area and has played a real leadership role on this 
issue.
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be the sponsor of the El Camino Real de 
Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail Act.
  This trail has a great deal of importance to the southwest. El Camino 
Real de Tierra Adentro, otherwise known as the Royal Road of the 
Interior, served as the primary route between the colonial Spanish 
capital of Mexico City and the Spanish provincial capitals of San Juan 
de Los Caballeros, San Gabriel, and ultimately Santa Fe, New Mexico.
  The portion of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro that resided in what 
is now the United States extended between El Paso, Texas, the district 
that I represent, and present-day San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, a 
distance of some 404 miles.
  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 our borderland. American Indian 
groups dating back into prehistoric times, especially the Pueblo 
Indians of the Rio Grande River Valley, used the area and the trail 
along the Rio Grande long before Europeans arrived on this continent.
  In 1598, Don Juan de Onate led a Spanish military expedition along 
those trails to establish the northern portion of El Camino Real; and 
during the Mexican National Period and part of the U.S. Territorial 
Period, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro facilitated the immigration of 
people into New Mexico and other areas that would ultimately become the 
United States of America.
  This trail is important to the history of the borderlands as it was 
central to the exploration, conquest, colonization, settlement, 
religious conversion, and military occupation of the Southwest. Many 
people used this trail, including American Indians, European 
immigrants, miners, ranchers, cowboys, soldiers and missionaries. These 
travelers promoted cultural interaction among Spaniards, other 
Europeans, American Indians, Mexicans and Americans.
  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, to name a few. This 
trail is important to the cultural history and the rich heritage of the 
Southwest and of this country.
  H.R. 2271 amends the National Trails System Act to designate El 
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a National Historic Trail. This 
noncontroversial legislation prohibits the acquisition of any lands or 
interests outside the exterior boundaries of any federally administered 
area for El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.
  With the amendment today, which we are willing to accept, this bill 
or a similar bill has already been passed by the Senate. The Senate 
bill was sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman and cosponsored by Senator 
Pete Domenici.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) and 
the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) as well as the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) as well as the gentleman from Puerto 
Rico (Mr. Romero-Barcelo), the ranking member of that committee, for 
the work that they did to move this bill out of the committee and onto 
the House floor for today's vote.
  I would also like to thank my colleague and good friend the gentleman 
from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) for his help in this legislation. He is a 
cosponsor of this legislation and clearly appreciates the historical 
impact that the trail has had on two nations.
  I hope that my colleagues will support me in the passage of this 
legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2271, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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