Rediscovering the
by Debbie Wahrmund
Chihuahua Trail
I assumed that following the Chihuahua
(Che-wah-wah) Trail from Texas to Santa
Fe, New Mexico in modern times would
include a beaten path, a single trail along
a river, crisscrossing along a mountain
range. After a few weeks, about all I can confirm is
that much like Max Moorhead in 1958, I have allowed myself
to be led on and on, “into the myriad circumstances
surrounding an insoluble problem.” In order to rediscover the
Chihuahua trail with its twists and turns and convergences,
one must listen to the local people of the desert.
Photo: Map Chihuahua Trail, 1853: Map showing one cutoff to the Chihuahua Trail after the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established boundaries between Mexico and the United
States. Drawn in 1853, by cartographer, J.H. Colton; Yana and Marty Davis Collection of
Museum of Big Bend’s exhibit ending December 15, 2019 “Five Centuries of Mexican
Maps.” Note that three water sources determined the path taken, Rio Conchos, Rio
Grande and the Pecos. Courtesy of Museum of the Big Bend, Alpine, Texas (2019 exhibit)
https://www.museumofthebigbend.com/exhibits/five-centuries-of-mexican-maps/
8
Cenizo
Winter 2020