THE EL SANTUARIO DE CHIMAYO is considered one of the most important pilgrimage site in the United States. Its popularity owes to the curative powers of the “Tierra Bendita” or “holy dirt” found in a small hole in a precept off the main altar. For nearly 200 years, the dirt is believed by many to have miraculous healing powers over a wide variety of ailments and afflictions.

One of the most visited tourist attractions in New Mexico, the Santuario hosts over 300,000 visitors a year. During Holy Week alone, over 30,000 people from all over the world make the pilgrimage to Chimayo. The local tradition is to walk, and people walk to Chimayo from all over the state of New Mexico, some traversing over 100 miles. Some people make the journey barefoot or on their hands and knees, and others carry enormous wooden crosses or put cactus needles in their shoes in order to demonstrate their devotion.

The crucifix, known as “Nuestro de Senor de Esquipulas” or the “Black Christ of Esquipulas,” was instantly considered highly sacred and was brought to the nearby church at Santa Cruz in a ceremonial procession and placed in the high altar. The next day, the Christo was gone, and was eventually found in the hole where it came from. This happened three times before the priests, weary of making the procession from Chimayo to Santa Cruz, decided to build a small chapel over the hole where the crucifix was found. Almost immediately, the dirt from the hole started to effect miraculous healing cures. Word spread, and eventually, in 1816, the small chapel was razed and the Santuario was built to accommodate the increasing numbers of pilgrims. 

The story of how a crucifix from Esquipulas, a small town in Guatemala, came to be buried in a remote location in the New Mexico wilderness, was a mystery until someone discovered documents from the Diocese in Durango that tell the story of a Guatemalan priest who had come with the first settlers of Chimayo. The priest from Esquipulas preached to the local Indians and carried around a large crucifix. The Indians rebelled and killed the priest, and he was buried by the settlers, who used the crucifix to mark his grave. In 1810, the Santa Cruz river flooded, and the crucifix and body of the priest were uncovered. Those who remembered the priest exclaimed “That is the padre from Esquipulas!” and that is how the Christo’s origins were known. Interestingly, Esquipulas is also a holy pilgrimage site known for it’s clay which is said to have curative powers, and the site where the crucifix was found was already considered sacred by the Tewa Indians long before the Spanish even arrived.

When visiting Chimayo, it is customary to make a small donation and bring some kind of offering, such as a candle, a rosary, a personal note, or a picture of a loved one to leave on the outdoor altar. It is also recommended that you bring a small container if you would like to take home some holy dirt. The dirt is traditionally eaten, dissolved in water, or made into a poulstice and applied to wounds, but most people prefer to keep it on their altar. The Navajo tradition is to hang the dirt in a basket in the East and let it sprinkle freely about the house.

Many people experience a profound welling of emotions, strange bodily sensations, and a myriad of other physical, emotional and spiritual effects while on location. Besides, a taste of Chimayo’s famous red chile, also believed by many to have miraculous healing properties, is worth the trip alone.

The Santuario de Guadalupe (The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe) in Santa Fe, established in the 1770’s, is the oldest standing shrine in the United States. It was built in honor of our Lady of Guadalupe and is an enduring landmark, commemorating the apparitions of Mary in 1531 to the Aztec peasant Juan Diego of Tepeyac, Mexico.

The Santuario de Guadalupe in Santa Fe has its own unique features. The Shrine consists of the historical chapel – the Santuario de Guadalupe; a new larger, Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to accommodate the burgeoning parish; the El Cerro de Tepeyac – a walking path featuring six tile mosaics by the artist Arlene Cisneros Sena, illustrating the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego; and the newest addition, a 12-foot statue of our Lady of Guadalupe which stands in front of the Santuario de Guadalupe, greeting visitors.

The Santuario de Guadalupe is an adobe structure that sits off the banks of the Santa Fe River near the end of the Camino Real. The original church was constructed on a Latin cross floor plan, with thick 3 foot adobe walls, a flat roof supported by pine vigas, a dirt floor and a 3 tiered bell tower. The parish flourished until 1922 when a fire razed the church’s roof, collapsed the spire and damaged the painted frescoes. The walls and altar survived. Restoration this time was made in the style of a California Mission with a new pitched roof, a bell tower and a wooden floor.