Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is the Royal Inland Route, also known as the Silver Route. The inscribed properties include 55 sites and 5 existing World Heritage sites located on a 1,400-kilometer section of the 2,600-kilometer route, which stretches from Mexico City northwards to the U.S. states of Texas and New Mexico. The route was actively used as a trade route for 300 years, from the mid-16th century to the 19th century, mainly for the transportation of silver from the mines of Zacatecas, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí, as well as mercury imported from Europe. Although the route was driven and consolidated by the mining industry, it also facilitated the establishment of social, cultural and religious links, especially between Spanish and Amerindian cultures.