El Camino Real | |
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The Royal Road | |
![]() East entrance of San Gabriel Mission with an El Camino Real bell | |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
Counties |
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Highway system | |
Reference no. | 784[1][2] |
El Camino Real (Spanish; literally The Royal Road, sometimes translated as The King's Highway) is a 600-mile (965-kilometer) commemorative route connecting the 21 Spanish missions in California (formerly the region Alta California in the Spanish Empire), along with a number of sub-missions, four presidios, and three pueblos. Historically associated with a network of royal roads terminating in Mexico City, as the former capital of New Spain and the seat of royal power for Las Californias, its southern end in the modern U.S. state of California is at Mission San Diego de Alcalá and its northern terminus is at Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma.
There was no single road constructed by the Spanish to connect the missions, with most of the network of royal roads following historic Native American trading routes. The "caminos reales" covered much of what is today California, but with no single special route designated to link the missions. The name was revived in the American era in connection with the boosterism associated with the Mission Revival movement of the early 20th century. Streets throughout California bear the "El Camino Real" name. The route has been continually upgraded and is decorated with Commemorative bell markers.
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