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SENATE MEMORIAL 24
57
TH LEGISLATURE
- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -
FIRST SESSION
, 2025
INTRODUCED BY
Pete Campos and Leo Jaramillo and Roberto "Bobby" J. Gonzales
A MEMORIAL
RECOGNIZING THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF EL
SANTUARIO DE CHIMAYO AND THE CHIMAYO PILGRIMAGE FOR THE PEOPLE
OF NEW MEXICO.
WHEREAS, the area of Chimayo, in the Sangre de Cristo
mountains north of Santa Fe, was inhabited by the Tewa and
Pueblo Indians as early as the twelfth century, A.D., where the
site of el santuario de Chimayo was used for healing long
before Spanish occupation; and
WHEREAS, the Tewa Indians named the area "Tsi-Mayoh" after
one of four sacred hills above the valley; and
WHEREAS, several years after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680,
the Spanish returned to reconquer New Mexico, led by Diego de
Vargas, and several Spanish families settled along the Santa
Cruz river and in the village of El Potrero, the future site of
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el santuario de Chimayo; and
WHEREAS, in 1813, one of the descendants of the Spanish
settlers, Bernardo Abeyta, petitioned local priest Fray
Sebastian Alvarez on behalf of the nineteen families of El
Potrero to build a chapel dedicated to Our Lord of Esquipulas,
on what was believed to be the site where he discovered a
crucifix buried under dirt that was emanating light, associated
with a miraculous Guatemalan image of Christ crucified known as
Our Lord of Esquipulas; and
WHEREAS, el santuario de Chimayo was completed in 1816,
and pilgrims were known to travel to el santuario throughout
the 1800s for its healing properties, especially after the
Spanish control of trade routes was eliminated after the
Mexican Independence War, after which the area of Chimayo
experienced growth in commerce and its famous weaving industry;
and
WHEREAS, el santuario de Chimayo remained in the ownership
of the descendants of Bernardo Abeyta until 1929, when the
property was purchased on behalf of the Catholic church from
the Chaves family by a group of public-spirited residents of
Santa Fe, including writer Mary Austin, artist Frank Applegate
and architect John Gaw Meem; and
WHEREAS, the Chimayo pilgrimage as it is known today began
in the years after World War II, when survivors of the Bataan
death march began a walking pilgrimage from Santa Fe to Chimayo
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to seek healing of their bodies and memories, and first
occurred in the weeks after Easter; and
WHEREAS, the Chimayo pilgrimage continued to grow in the
twentieth century, being featured in regional and national
newspapers, including the Denver Post and the Saturday Evening
Post; and
WHEREAS, in 1970, el santuario de Chimayo became a
registered national historic landmark with the assistance of
Reverend Casimiro Roca-Toscas, who served el santuario de
Chimayo for fifty-two years, restoring the shrine, greeting
pilgrims, hearing confessions and helping to found and build
the holy family parish in Chimayo; and
WHEREAS, the size and permanence of the pilgrimage led the
archdiocese of Santa Fe to list el santuario de Chimayo as an
"official pilgrimage site" in 1979; and
WHEREAS, the Chimayo pilgrimage attracts more than three
hundred thousand pilgrims from all over the southwest and
elsewhere each year and includes people from a variety of
religious traditions, including Catholic, Protestant, Sikh,
Buddhist and new age communities; and
WHEREAS, pilgrims visiting el santuario de Chimayo come to
pray and visit a chamber called "el pocito", or little well,
where they can collect sand in vials or jars as a remembrance
of their pilgrimage; it is also believed that the sand can be
mixed with water to make mud and be eaten or applied to the
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skin in order to heal a person of an ailment; and
WHEREAS, thousands of pilgrims walk to el santuario de
Chimayo from Santa Fe, Taos and other starting points during
holy week; and
WHEREAS, the state police, the department of
transportation, local law enforcement agencies and emergency
responders have recognized the need to keep both drivers and
pedestrians safe along roads leading to el santuario de Chimayo
by issuing safety alerts and coordinating services to ensure
the safety of those participating in the Chimayo pilgrimage;
and
WHEREAS, news media and television stations from across
the state regularly report on the annual Chimayo pilgrimage,
its historical significance and the resources available to keep
pilgrims safe on their journey; and
WHEREAS, the Chimayo pilgrimage will be featured in an
iconic two-year exhibit at the New Mexico history museum
beginning April 12, 2025, which will feature photographs and a
re-creation of the rooms and spaces at el santuario de Chimayo;
and
WHEREAS, el santuario de Chimayo has become the most
significant Catholic pilgrimage site in the country;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE
OF NEW MEXICO that the senate recognize the historical and
cultural significance that el santuario de Chimayo and the
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Chimayo pilgrimage have had for the people of the state of New
Mexico, its culture, its community and its faith; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be
transmitted to the archdiocese of Santa Fe.
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