Joseph P. Sánchez is the director of the Spanish Colonial Research Center at the University of New Mexico. After thirty-five years, he retired from the National Park Service in 2014. He has published studies on historic trails including the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Camino Real de los Tejas, and the Old Spanish Trail. He has taught at the University of New Mexico, the University of Arizona, Santa Ana College in California, and the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara.

• PrefaceChapter One. "Doing the King's Business" on El Camino Real de California: An IntroductionChapter Two. Early Spanish Maritime Views of the California CoastChapter Three. The Origins of the Camino Real: The Maritime and Land Expeditions of 1769 from Baja California Sur to Alta CaliforniaChapter Four. Portolá's Expedition and the Establishment of Alta California, Part I: From San Diego Bay to the Santa Bárbara Channel and the Santa Inéz River, July through August, 1769Chapter Five. Portolá's Expedition and the Establishment of Alta California, Part II: The Search for Monterey Bay--From the Sierra de Santa Lucía to San Francisco Bay, September to November 1769Chapter Six. Portolá's Expedition and the Establishment of Alta California, Part III: The Expedition Returns to San Diego--November 1769 to January 1770Chapter Seven. Missions and Ranchos in Spanish Colonial and Mexican Territorial Alta CaliforniaEpilogueAppendix A. Identification of Presidios and Royal Presidio RanchosAppendix B. The Missions of Alta CaliforniaAppendix C. The Missions of Baja California and the Early Camino Real de CaliforniaAppendix D. "The King's Highway as Serra Knew It": Father Geiger and California's Camino Real de las MisionesAppendix E. Selected and Edited List of Land Grants in California, 1784-1848, Potentially Related to the Camino Real de CaliforniaAppendix F. Examples of Maritime Lanes Used to Alta CaliforniaAppendix G. The Camino Real de las Californias: The Land Route from Baja California to San Diego in 1769Appendix H. Summary of Fray Juan de Crespí's Diary Entry Locations by Date, and Notations by H. E. BoltonNotesBibliographyIndex