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TEXT & IMAGES
JULIE HALL
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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