Royal Road

Grand Central Publishing · 1998 · Book

In 1598, the Spanish Conquistador Juan de Oñate led the first permanent European settlers into what would become the United States. Four hundred years later, Douglas Preston and his wife Christine retraced the two thousand mile road blazed by Oñate between Mexico City and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Christine Preston's photographs show wild places and historic sites while Douglas Preston's text tells the story of one of the most ancient human trails in North America. The book creates a portrait of New Mexico, the founding of Santa Fe, and the settlement of the Southwest. Won the 1999 Villagrá Award for outstanding publication on New Mexico history.