SENATE MEMORIAL 24

57th 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 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 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 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 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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