Only in Your State | New Mexico | Original Article by Julie White
The town of Chimayó lies between Santa Fe and Taos. It’s a small place with a population of 3177 people. Despite its size, Chimayó attracts tens of thousands of people each year, especially at Easter. They come to visit El Santuario de Chimayó. This beautiful, Spanish Colonial-style church doesn’t attract curious visitors or Catholic pilgrims for its gorgeous architecture or the tranquil setting.
They come for the soil.
That’s right, the dirt.
Inside the church is a place known as “el Pocito,” which is a room with a hole in the stone floor that is filled with soil. Many believe this “tierra bendita,” or sacred earth, has curative properties for those seeking physical, emotional, or spiritual healing. They gather the dirt and take it home. Some choose to rub it on an afflicted body part, while others simply keep it and allow the “sacred healing powers” bless and cover them.
On the way out, you can see a collection of crutches, which is said to be a testament to the healing many have experienced at this sacred place.
Before the Spanish arrived, Native Americans living here also considered this area to be sacred.
There is, of course, a story behind this sacred dirt, and it begins with a man named Bernardo Abeyta.
Bernardo was a resident of Chimayó, who spied a light glowing in the hills as he was performing penances (or reconciliation). When he investigated, he realized that the light was coming from the ground itself. He began to dig and unearthed a crucifix.
The crucifix, known as Nuestro Señor de Esquipula, was taken to a nearby town. But the cross vanished…
Where was it when it was rediscovered? The mysterious cross was back in the hole where it was originally found.
The crucifix was again removed, and again vanished. After three times that this strange event occurred, villagers decided that instead of moving the cross, they would construct a chapel over the hole.
The legend varies in some details, but all of them include the crucifix being found and end in a chapel being built around the blessed hole where that cross kept appearing.
The first chapel was built in Chimayó in 1813 and that is when the rumors of the miraculous cures occurring here began. By 1816, the church still standing today was constructed, replacing the previous one.
Throughout the year, but particularly at Easter, pilgrims walk from Santa Fe, or even farther away, to Chimayó for their own bit of soil. Some carry physical crucifixes, while others carry prayers in their hearts on their journey. Regardless of the visitors’ reasons for visiting, they all seem to agree that El Santuario de Chimayó is a special place.
