El Santuario de Chimayo

The chapel was built between 1813 and 1816 in adobe with a twin-belled facade, and what brings people is a small room off the sanctuary with a pit of loose earth in the floor - el pocito - which is held to heal. The earth is taken away by visitors and replenished by the shrine, which is open about it. The walls of the adjoining room are hung with crutches, photographs and letters left by people who came. During Holy Week tens of thousands walk here, some for many kilometres along the highway shoulder from Santa Fe and beyond, which is one of the largest Catholic pilgrimages in the country. The site is otherwise quiet, in a village known for weaving and chile.

What you actually see

• An adobe chapel of 1813-1816 - with a twin-belled facade.
• El pocito - the pit of earth held to heal.
• Crutches and letters left behind - filling the adjoining room.
• The Holy Week pilgrimage - tens of thousands walking in.

When to go

April to October; Holy Week is the pilgrimage but also the crowd. Two hours.

Honest expectations

It is small and the visit is short outside pilgrimage. Holy Week brings road closures and heavy traffic. This is a place of active devotion - photography inside is restricted. The healing claim is a matter of faith and the site presents it as such.

Nearby

The High Road villages run north; Santa Fe is south-west.