The story of the colonization of Northern New Mexico and one of its leading "parajes" (El Camino Real campsite) will fascinate anyone interested in the history of the American Southwest. For example, what cultures were there when the colonists arrived in 1598? What military genius defeated Cuerno Verde, the firebrand Comanche chief, and in 1786 executed a long-lasting peace treaty? Why was Juan de Onate sent to establish the first permanent European settlement in the United States in 1598, nine years before the settlement of Jamestown and twenty-five years before the Pilgrims arrived at...