Camino Real Museum Sculpture

This sculpture in the middle of the desert marks the former site of the El Camino Real Heritage Center, one of New Mexico’s most notorious government boondoggles.

Camino Real Museum?

The Camino Real was a 1,600-mile trade route that connected Mexico City with Santa Fe for nearly three centuries. The museum that shared its name was built to celebrate the history of the settlers, traders, and travelers who shaped life along the trail. Sounds like a great idea, right?

What Happened?

The New Mexico Legislature and Congress and the Bureau of Land Management jointly commissioned this great idea for 4 million dollars. Consultants were hired to find the best place to build the new museum. After studying various locations, they chose a remote spot in the desert almost an hour from any major city (33.595144, -107.095084). The ‘experts’ claimed that building halfway between Socorro and Truth or Consequences would draw 100,000 visitors a year, bring in $10,000,000 to the (mostly deserted) region, and create 174 new jobs.

The museum opened in 2005 to a crowd of 2000, governor Bill Richardson, and the vice president of Spain. Things were looking good until the museum actually opened to the public. Over 11 years of operation, the museum attracted fewer than 10,000 visitors a year and cost millions to operate. Visitors praised the museum’s exhibits, but many said that the building was empty and staffed by only one person on their visit (go figure).

But Wait, There’s More

In 2016, New Mexico’s Cultural Affairs Department permanently closed the museum. Over the next 10 years, the building was stripped of copper wire and left to rot in the desert. Thankfully, the state was able to spend another half million dollars to demolish the museum and restore the site.

The Museum probably would have been successful if built in Socorro or Truth or Consequences, so why was it built in the middle of nowhere? Surely it was built there because the Camino Real actually passed through the same land and would allow visitors to experience the historic trail, right? Nope, it was just a random spot in the desert.

Conclusion

At best, the Camino Real Heritage Center is a case of gross incompetence. At worst, it is a case of blatant corruption wasting over $6 million and 20 years of planning. At least we got this cool sculpture out of it…