Antonio Mariano Armijo (1804–1850) was a Spanish

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

and

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

who is famous for leading the first commercial caravan party between Abiquiú, Nuevo México and San Gabriel Mission,

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

in 1829–1830. His route, the southernmost and most direct, is known as the Armijo Route of the Old Spanish Trail. Abiquiú was the starting point and eastern terminus of the original route of the Old Spanish Trail. Though segments of an overland route between the Spanish colonies of Nuevo México and Alta California had been blazed decades earlier, Armijo was the first to pioneer a complete route that traveled the entire length. Armijo traveled with sixty mounted men and a caravan of pack animals carrying blankets and other trade goods to barter for mules in California. The caravan left Abiquiú on 7 November 1829 and made the journey to the San Gabriel Mission in what is now

San Gabriel, California San Gabriel (Spanish language, Spanish for "Gabriel, St. Gabriel") is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 39,568. San Gabriel was founded ...

in eighty-six days, arriving on 31 January 1830. He returned by the same route in 56 days, leaving 1 March and arriving on 25 April 1830. Unlike the other routes of the Old Spanish Trail, Armijo's route was documented day by day, although in a very brief report listing dates and stopping places, with few other details and no distances recorded. The report was submitted to the governor of Nuevo México, José Antonio Cháves, and published by the Mexican government on 19 June 1830.Diario que formo yo el ciudando Antonio Armijo, como comandante, para el descubrimiento del camino para el punto de las Californias (Diary made by citizen Antonio Armijo as commandant for the discovery of the route to the Californias), Official Register of the Government the United States of Mexico, 1830, pp. 205–206
from Old Spanish Trail Association website, oldspanishtrail.org accessed 14 February 2016LeRoy R. Hafen and Antonio Armijo, Armijo's Journal,Huntington Library Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Nov., 1947), pp. 87–101, Published by: University of California Press,DOI: 10.2307/3816035
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PHOTO #: WY0002a, CAPTION: Antonio Mariano Armijo on horse Fuego (Smokey) 1851. This pencil sketch by J. Lundquist. Antonio Mariano is oldest son of Jose Francisco Armijo and; Jesus Maria Armijo. See also: Rulofson Coll. No. RR-244L Year: 1851
from solanohistory.org accessed 30 October 2015. 1804 births 1850 deaths Mexican people of Spanish descent People of Alta California 1829 in Mexico 1830 in Mexico Armijo History of New Mexico History of Nevada History of Utah History of Clark County, Nevada People from Santa Fe, New Mexico Spanish explorers of North America Explorers of California Explorers of New Mexico {{Explorer-stub