El Camino Real de los Tejas -- Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches TX
N 31° 37.163 W 094° 38.944
15R E 343587 N 3499429
An El Camino Real information sign in front of the Old Stone Fort Museum, on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches TX, placed by the National Park Service as part of El Camino Real the los Tejas National Historic Trail
Waymark Code: WMXJBG
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/18/2018
Views: 2
This information sign was placed by the National Park Service as part of the interpretation of the El Camino Real the los Tejas National historic Trail.
The sign reads as follows:
"Planting history
The chocolate in your birthday cake, the corn in your breakfast cereal, and the pumpkin decorating your doorstep and October all trace their origins to places along El Camino Real de los Tejas, a network of trails from Mexico City across Texas and into Northwest Louisiana.
A zoo of plants from the past
Plant life native to El Camino Real core door has sustained the people and animals of the region from prehistoric times to the present. American Indians who lived along the trail shared maize, nopal, squash, and many more indigenous plants with the Spanish explorers. In turn, Spaniards introduced wheat, sugar cane, and melons.
Over time, the exchange of plants and animals between the old and new worlds altered the landscape and the people of both worlds. The diets of both groups expanded to include new crops that stimulated population growth.
The living laboratory
In front of you is a living laboratory. The zoo of plants still exists in gardens and on your daily plate the cultivation of wild plants for modern crops has brightened our food and healed our wounds. Sweet and hot peppers added spice to our meals and salicin in willow bark extract led to the development of aspirin. In addition, oak tree tannins converted animal hides into leather, sumac plants died material read, and pine trees provided the timber for our homes.
Learning about the plant life of a region is a gateway to understanding the complex relationships between people, plants, and culture. You are a part of the laboratory. What local foods did you eat today?
[Map of El Camino de los Tejas and trails]
El Camino Real began as foot paths edged by native traders as they exchanged goods. Spanish colonists carved a deeper with caravans of vehicles, livestock and people traveling north to settle. Today the trail that began as a scuff in the earth is a bustling highway in some places and a preserved trail in others. Follow your heritage through cities, woods, and rolling hills. Visit missions and presidios. For more information go to www.NPS.gov/elte."
Program: Other
Website: [Web Link]
Official Name: El Camino Real de los Tejas
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