While most Catholics are preparing silently in their hearts for the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, there is a group each year that pilgrimages to a small town in New Mexico to visit El Santuario de Chimayo.

People often refer to this pilgrimage site as the "Lourdes of America" for its miraculous history. It actually tightly connects to Good Friday and is an important piece of American Catholic history.

The History

El Santuario de Chimayo - translated to "The Sanctuary of Chimayo" - has been a place of worship for over two decades.

The natives used the mountains of Chimayo, New Mexico, and the surrounding area since the 12th century. They believed them to be the home to many healing spirits.

In 1693, the Spanish gained control of the area, led by Diego de Vargas. This gave way to a significant flow of Spanish and Mexican settlers for the next few decades.

These settlers brought with them many of their beliefs and devotions, including the Guatemalan image of Christ crucified, known as "Our Lord of Esquipulas" (seen on left).

This image of Christ originated in a Guatemalan town where people believed the earth had a miraculous healing power.

According to tradition, on the night of Good Friday in 1810, Don Bernado Abeyta saw a light coming out of the ground in the hills of Chimayo. He ran to the spot and began to dig. After digging with his bare hands, he uncovered a Crucifix - more specifically, a Crucifix of Our Lord of Esquipulas. He immediately brought a priest out, who decided to bring it back to the nearby church.

The next morning, the Crucifix was gone.

They went back to where they found it in the hills and found it again buried in the dirt. This happened twice more, always ending up back in the original location in Chimayo. Abeyta now understood that Our Lord of Esquipulas wanted to remain there in Chimayo. He petitioned the priest to build a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lord of Esquipulas there. They built a chapel and it quickly became famous for the healings resulting from the miraculous earth found near the shrine. The first chapel was replaced by a larger chapel in 1816, which still stands today.

The Pilgrimage

Over 300,000 pilgrims travel to the site of El Santuario de Chimayo each year - coming from all around the globe, but most commonly from the Southern United States and Mexico. While there are many pilgrimages that people will take to Chimayo, the majority of pilgrims make the pilgrimage during Holy Week. A common route is to walk from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to El Santuario on Good Friday.

Pilgrims travel to the Sanctuary for many different reasons. Some wish to be healed of something themselves, some go to pray for others, and some go simply to learn about and participate in the rich history. Pilgrims will often mix the earth with water to make mud to apply to their skin to heal a sickness or ailment. Many others take vials of sand and earth as a remembrance of their pilgrimage. Witnesses of thanks for the curing of illnesses and disabilities fill the sanctuary. Canes, wheelchairs, and other symbols line the walls of the chapel.

Learn more about the chapel, the pilgrimage, and how to plan your own trip at the official site here!