The Kings Highway: El Camino Real

This program from cable's History Channel builds a case for the argument that much of the Spanish culture in California - its influence evident in such areas as food, art, architecture and music - wouldn't exist without the historical presence of a road called El Camino Real. The story begins in 1769, amid the Spanish Empire, when a priest named Junípero Serra constructed the said road from San Diego to Sonoma, to connect two different Catholic missions. Father Serra then took advantage of this road's presence to spread all elements of Spanish culture (including Roman Catholicism) throughout the area. This program tells Serra's story and examines the residual impact of his life and work on contemporary times, drawing on such elements as historical recreations, mission footage, interviews with historians and much more.