Good Friday Pilgrimage to NM Sacred Adobe Church Draws Thousands/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Thousands of Catholic pilgrims are making a Good Friday pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayó, a historic adobe church in northern New Mexico believed to hold miraculous healing powers. Many journey for miles through arid desert terrain in one of the largest religious pilgrimages in the U.S.
Chimayó Pilgrimage Tradition – Quick Look
- Thousands walk to El Santuario de Chimayó on Good Friday, some from over 30 miles away.
- Church is revered for a sacred well of earth believed to have healing powers.
- Pilgrims leave behind crutches, shoes, and prayer notes as signs of hope and gratitude.
- The adobe church, dating to the early 1800s, is a National Historic Landmark.
- Law enforcement and volunteers assist along the route to ensure safety.
Pilgrims Walk Through New Mexico Desert to El Santuario de Chimayó
Deep Looks
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of pilgrims from across the Southwest are converging on a small adobe church nestled in the high desert of northern New Mexico, walking for miles through rugged terrain to mark Good Friday with a deeply rooted spiritual tradition.
The annual pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayó draws Catholics and spiritual seekers alike. They come seeking healing, comfort, or simply to carry on a custom passed down through generations. Some trek for hours or days, arriving from as far as Albuquerque or Santa Fe, to reach the church before Easter Sunday.
A Journey of Faith and Healing
Pilgrims often leave behind personal items—crutches, braces, children’s shoes—as symbols of healing and hope. Many are drawn to the well of “holy dirt” inside the church, believed to possess curative powers. According to legend, a crucifix discovered at the site in the early 1800s inspired the building of the sanctuary.
“I heard gunshots and then, you know, just blacked out after,” said Carolina Sena, a 21-year-old accounting student who was inside the student union when the shooting started. “Everyone was crying and just panicking.”
Each Easter week, visitors file into the church’s intimate rooms, where Nuestro Señor de Esquipulas is enshrined at the altar. In nearby chapels, tributes are left for the Santo Niño de Atocha, the patron of travelers and children.
The adobe walls, thick with history, house folk art, religious frescoes, and 19th-century wood carvings, offering both cultural and spiritual nourishment.
A Historic and Sacred Site
Built in the early 1800s as Spanish colonial rule waned, El Santuario de Chimayó sits on land sacred to Native American communities long before Spanish settlers arrived. The area is also known for its weaving traditions, chile crops, and artesanía, contributing to its unique cultural blend.
Nearby flows the Rio Grande, and to the west sits Los Alamos National Laboratory—a contrast to the timeless religious tradition that Chimayó represents.
Declared a National Historic Landmark, the sanctuary is surrounded by narrow streets and humble shops, echoing a slower rhythm of life.
A Pilgrimage for All
This is more than a Catholic tradition—it’s a regional ritual, embraced by people of many backgrounds. Photographer Miguel Gandert, who documented the pilgrimage in 1996, recalls making the journey with his parents as a child.
“You didn’t have to be Catholic,” he said. “People just went there because it was a powerful, spiritual place.”
Vivid scenes from past pilgrimages—cross carriers, barefoot walkers, bikers in leather jackets—are on display at the New Mexico History Museum.
Today, those traditions endure. Families push strollers, elders walk with canes, and crucifixes are hoisted high as pilgrims climb the final miles into Chimayó.
A Community Effort
The magnitude of the pilgrimage requires coordination. Vendors line the route offering snacks, water, and religious goods. State police and volunteers provide medical and safety support. Travelers are offered rest areas along the route through juniper-lined hills and cactus-dotted arroyos that eventually open into cottonwood-shaded pastures.
The destination is more than symbolic—it is transformational for many. Pilgrims come with personal prayers, sometimes for loved ones battling illness, addiction, or loss. In quiet reflection, they touch the walls of the sanctuary, kneel before altars, and collect a pinch of the sacred earth to take home.
Preserving a Living Tradition
While El Santuario de Chimayó remains vibrant, it is one of hundreds of historic adobe churches across New Mexico—many of which are deteriorating as congregations shrink and building techniques fade.
Still, Chimayó endures as a powerful symbol of faith, healing, and heritage. Each Good Friday, its legacy is renewed in the footsteps of thousands.
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