A Small Chapel in Chimayo

Speaking with a friend the other day, I mentioned Chimayo in New Mexico and she had no idea what I was talking about. I looked through paperwork I have about the area to give to her so she could read about Chimayo. I wrote this piece in  2004 and I would give it to persons traveling with me to New Mexico.  I will add my article to my blog.

El Santuario de Chimayo

The area around Chimayo had been considered holy and sacred by the Tewa Indians, long before the Spaniards came to the area. In ancient times, the Tewa Indians believed that "fire and hot water had belched forth from the earth," in the area around known as Chimayo. After the water had evaporated, the dirt was believed to have medicinal powers that could cure illnesses.

Oddly enough, in another corner of the world, there was a small town of Esquipulas, Guatemala, that believed the dirt was medicinal. A crucifix, carved out of wood, that with time turned a dark color, was given the name of Black Christ or the Lord of Esquipulas. How did a similar crucifix of Esquipulas end up in Chimayo?

There are several legends about the Crucifix that have been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. The two most popular stories are:

In 1810, on the night of Good Friday, Don Bernardo Abeyta saw a light shining from a hill near the Santa Cruz river. He went to check and found the light coming from the ground. He began to dig and discovered a crucifix. The crucifix was carried to the parish church.  The next morning the Crucifix was missing from the church but it was found in the original place near the river. It was returned to the church and that evening it once again disappeared only to be found in the place where it had first been discovered.  This was construed to mean that the Lord of Esquipulas did not want to be moved and a small chapel was built where the Crucifix had been found.  Before long, the posito (small dirt hole) became a place where pilgrims would visit and before long the healing attributes of the dirt made Chimayo a special place. To this day, there are many miracles attached to the sacred dirt of Chimayo.

Another legend:  A priest from Guatemala came north with the first settlers and stopped in Chimayo.  He carried a large crucifix and preached to the different Indian pueblos in the area. He was killed by the Indians and buried with the crucifix. In 1810 there was a flood and the martyred priest with the crucifix was uncovered. The people called him the Priest of Esquipulas because that was his home so the crucifix became known as the Lord of Esquipulas.

The small adobe Santuario was built in 1814 and was a privately owned chapel until 1929 when it was turned over to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The Santuario is visited by hundreds of pilgrims daily. Entering the chapel, there are many carved or painted santos on reredos, ratablos and bultos (pictorial wood paintings on large panels of wood and carved wooden statues.)  The Lord of Esquipulas hangs on the main altar. Another statue of interest is the refurbished St. James (Santiago) on a horse and he is kept under glass to protect him from damage.

The "dirt" is in a hole in a small room to the left of the altar. To enter the room people have to duck their head as they pass the low doorway and enter the room. The hole is filled with sandy dirt every morning and it is about two feet in diameter. The walls of the room are covered with religious pictures and statues. Visitors kneel around the dirt hole and gather dirt in plastic or glass containers. They will take the dirt home and mix as a paste or sprinkle over their aches and pain. Some will even put a small amount of dirt in a glass of water and drink it. Proof of miracles are the overwhelming array of religious pictures, colorful statues, flickering candles, crutches, canes, cards, rosaries, ribbons and medals that hang form the walls.

As people exit the Santuario, they can visit the shops nearby that sell religious articles, cold drinks, dried red chili, pinon nuts, ristras, or a variety of green or red chili. Or they can visit another chapel that houses Nuestro Senor de Atocha. The child Jesus is on a side altar and is dressed in white satin. The altar is filled with tiny shoes.
The chapel is old and wooden floors creak. The story is that the shoes have to be changed daily because he wears them out as he travels at night performing miracles.

For the pilgrims from the Denver area, Chimayo has become a place where one can be spiritually renewed. A place to be physically and spiritually healed. Where problems can be lifted. Where answers can enter your mind. Where your heart is filled with happiness. Where one is filled with peace. Where miracles happen.

E. Moscoso
August 31, 2004


I returned to Chimayo around 2009 and things had changed: The room with all the articles showing miracles had happened was now bare with only small silver remembrances and some photos. Candles had been removed.  I was told it had become a fire hazard and everything had to be removed from the room. 

At Nuestro Senor de Atocha Chapel the outside had been rebuilt, the altar with the Senior de Atocha was now in a separate room on a main altar, the floor no longer creaked, and it looked more modern. The altar was still covered with baby shoes.

A new museum had been built to the right of the Santuario but it was not open. There was ample parking in the back lot and a path had been built to make it easier for pilgrims to get to the Santuario.