Santuario de Chimayó

Overview

El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic sanctuary in Chimayó, New Mexico, known as a pilgrimage site associated with healing. Built in 1816, the small adobe church is centered on a small pit of soil pilgrims believe has healing power (called "el pocito", "the little well"). Each year the site receives large numbers of pilgrims, especially during Holy Week, many walking long distances to reach it. A National Historic Landmark, it remains an active place of prayer and devotion.

Present

El Santuario de Chimayó remains an active Catholic parish, served by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Visitors come to pray, collect soil from el pocito (the small pit of earth at the church's center), and leave offerings such as photographs, crutches, and notes. The site draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, with tens of thousands during Holy Week, culminating on Good Friday, when pilgrims walk to the church from surrounding communities, some over long distances. The pilgrimage declined in the mid-20th century but has grown again since the 1980s, reaching younger people and a wider range of visitors beyond the local Hispanic Catholic communities. The soil of el pocito is replenished regularly with earth from the surrounding hillsides. The Archdiocese maintains the historic adobe church alongside its active worship and pilgrimage.

Religious Significance

El Santuario de Chimayó draws pilgrims who seek healing through its holy soil. At its center is el pocito, a small pit of earth pilgrims believe can heal; the soil is rubbed on the body, mixed with water, or carried home. Nearby walls hold crutches, photographs, and other ex-votos (offerings left in thanks).

The valley was held sacred for healing long before the church was built. Indigenous Tewa Indians believed healing spirits rose from hot springs there, and that after the springs dried the power stayed in the soil. The Catholic devotion of Nuestro Señor de Esquipulas (Our Lord of Esquipulas), a dark-skinned image of Christ, came from a shrine in Esquipulas, Guatemala, also associated with healing earth. According to tradition, a local landowner named Bernardo Abeyta found a crucifix of Esquipulas on this ground in 1810; when it was moved it is said to have returned there three times, and the church was built on this spot.

During the Holy Week pilgrimage tens of thousands walk to Chimayó for Good Friday, some over a hundred miles, as penance, in devotion, or to fulfill a promesa (a promise to God in return for a favor or healing). For many Hispanic Catholic families in New Mexico, it is handed down through generations.

History & Structure

El Santuario de Chimayó was built by Bernardo Abeyta between 1813 and 1816. According to tradition, he built it on the spot where a crucifix of the Lord of Esquipulas was found. The small adobe church, about 60 by 24 feet, has thick earthen walls, twin bell towers, and a simple interior of wooden beams and traditional furnishings. The main altar holds a large retablo (painted altar screen) with the crucifix, and a side chapel is dedicated to the Santo Niño de Atocha, an image of the Christ child.

In 1929 the Spanish Colonial Arts Society bought the sanctuary and gave it to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which has maintained it as an active church since. It has been restored periodically to stabilize the adobe and preserve its historic retablos while keeping its original character. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, and remains closely tied to the Chimayó community.

Resources

• Official website: Holy Chimayó Sanctuary