join us for future issues at
Transcription
join us for future issues at
07 GLOBAL ART, CRAFT & DESIGN 2 07 SPRING 2012 • $12 3 Ancient Clay • Capturing the Sky Enduring Fiber • Local Icons Low Riders • Global Exchange JOIN US FOR FUTURE ISSUES AT WWW.HANDEYEMAGAZINE.COM/SUBSCRIBE 34 N T SA C R UA Y TEXT & IMAGES JULIE HALL 35 C hurch attendance is declining in the U.S. and Europe, but pilgrimage to sanctuaries is increasing. We need are in need of spirituality,” shared Father Julio Gonzalez, the Spanish-born priest of El Santuario de Chimayó. Located thirty miles northeast of Santa Fe on a site once sacred to the Native Americans, the sanctuary at Chimayó is the foremost Catholic pilgrimage shrine in North America. Famous for its “holy dirt” believed to have curative powers, the shrine receives about 300,000 visitors a year. Several legends are associated with the origins of El Santuario, but all agree that the shrine was established 36 around 1810 by local resident Don Bernardo Abeyta. In the most popular legend, Abeyta was performing penances on the night of Good Friday and saw a light springing from the ground near the Santa Cruz River. He went to the spot, started to dig and uncovered a large crucifix of Nuestro Señor de Esquípulas (Our Lord of Esquípulas), a dark-complected image of Christ crucified on a “living cross” that resembles a tree with branches and leaves painted green. (This “regenerative” image of Christ first originated at a shrine in Esquípulas, Guatemala, also famous for its curative “holy dirt.”) At the behest of a local priest, the crucifix was carried to the church at Santa Cruz eight miles away, only to be discovered the next morning miraculously back at its original location in Chimayó. After this happened several times, it was understood that Our Lord of Esquípulas wanted to stay where he was found and a small shrine was built. Soon afterwards miracle healings became associated with the soil where the crucifix was 37 The healing powers of the holy dirt of the early 19th century adobe Santuario de Chimayó attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, making it one of the most active shrines in North America. It blends an ancient riverbank setting and Spanish colonial heritage with a very 21st century need for sanctuary. Opening spread: Crosses and milagros hung on a fence outside El Santuario of Chimayó; Left: The holy mud of Chimayó; Inset: The exterior courtyard of El Santuario de Chimayó; Left: Baby shoes offerings for El Santo Niño de Atocha; Above: Crutches left behind by people healed by their devotions at the sanctuary I Above: Exterior of Santo Niño de Atocha Chapel Below: Devotional candles lit by pilgrims to Chimayó 38 found, and people began coming to el pocito (“the little well”) to rub its “holy dirt” onto their bodies to ease all sorts of ailments. As word of the shrine spread, Bernardo Abeyta was granted permission to build a larger church on the site. It was completed in 1816 and today is considered one of the most beautiful adobe buildings of the American Southwest. Abeyta commissioned renowned santeros (religious artists) José Rafael Aragón and Molleno to create sacred art for the new chapel. The main reredo (altar screen) frames an effigy of Our Lord of Esquípulas and is painted in Molleno’s wavy “chili pepper” style. The adjacent rooms house el pocito and countless tokens and testaments to its “miraculous” powers — abandoned crutches and walkers, votive offerings, photographs and handwritten messages. Top: Icons and devotional figures at the Sanctuary; Above: Main chapel with five altar screens (early 19th c., attrib. artists José Rafael Aragón and Molleno) n 1856, a new chapel dedicated to Santo Niño de Atocha (The Holy Child of Atocha) was built next to El Sanctuario. According to legend, Santo Niño de Atocha is a miraculous child who lived in Spain during the 13th century. He travels about at night working miracles, especially for children and travelers. Regarded as the Infant Christ, he’s depicted as a boy pilgrim dressed in a wide-brimmed hat and a cloak decorated with the scallop shell of Saint James, a symbol of pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. In one hand he holds a basket of bread or flowers, and in the other a pilgrim’s staff with a water gourd. In performing his nightly miracles he wears out his shoes, so baby shoes are offered to him by the faithful. Today these two shrines at Chimayó are equally venerated. Even to non-Catholics, the sanctity of the shrines is gripping, mostly owing to the countless offerings and prayers left behind by people. During Holy Week some 30,000 people make the pilgrimage to Chimayó, and the tiny village, famous for its woven blankets, hot chilies and lowrider culture, transforms into a place of prayer and inspiration. “This site is a vortex of healing power and energy,” shared Trini Baca, who credits the powers of the shrine for saving his life three times. According to a legend of the Tewa Indians who lived in the area for hundreds of years before the Spanish arrived, Chimayó valley was once volcanic and full of hot springs. Over time, the valley cooled and the springs vanished, leaving behind pools of mud with curative powers, which they considered sacred and part of the larger mythology of the landscape. It’s very likely that the Tewa people were using the mud at Chimayó for therapeutic purposes when the Spanish settlers arrived. Regardless of its past, today Chimayó is a source of hope and spiritual rejuvenation for people of all faiths. A famous poem by George Mendoza of Las Cruces, NM welcomes people to “the little well”: If you are a stranger, if you are weary from the struggles in life, whether you have a handicap, whether you have a broken heart, follow the long mountain road, find a home in Chimayó... Photojournalist and regular HAND/EYE contributor Julie Hall travels the world documenting traditional arts and cultures. See www.juliehall.net for more. 39