Finding Mi Familia In Chimayo, New Mexico Margaret Bolte   © Copyright 2026 by Margaret Bolte

El Santuario de Chimayo. Photo courtesy of the author.

The Sangre de Cristo means ‘Spanish Blood of Christ.’ The mountains contain several 14,000-foot peaks in both Colorado and New Mexico. As we drove through Chimayo, the mountains took on reddish hues at sunrise and sunset. Chimayo means ‘a sacred place’ and is named after the Chimayo Mission in New Mexico

One afternoon, my cousin, Veronica, and I visited the Santuario de Chimayo. I remember my parents, who grew up in this area, talking about the holy sanctuary in New Mexico. I looked forward to touring the site and meeting family cousins. We drove on a narrow dirt road into a valley near the Rio Grande River and parked outside a settlement. A wooden walkway led to a small adobe church and dwellings. This site is known for its holy dirt, famous for its healing properties. The church is open all year. Every year, the Santuario de Chimayo draws more than 30,000 people for the Lenten journey or pilgrimage.

As you walk to the Santuario de Chimayó, you will find a well-preserved small adobe church with twin front towers, belfries, wooden doors, and an arched gate topped with a cross. The interior is a colorful mixture of Spanish and Indian decorations and styles. Pews placed in the middle of the church face the crucifixion. The church is decorated with original 19th-century Hispanic religious folk art, including several statues of saints. Behind the altar is the miraculous statue of Our Lord on the cross. Two separate rooms branch off the sanctuary. One small room contains a small pit of soil. Anyone can freely obtain a handful of holy dirt, make a paste, and rub it onto an injury or painful area. The soil is gathered from the hills around the chapel, which is considered holy ground.

The walls of the other room are covered with notes, written on paper, thanking the saint for curing ailments. Discarded canes, braces, and walkers hanging from the walls of this room are considered proof of the miracles of El Santuario.

The “dirt” found in the room known as the “posit” (well) is holy ground. At this spot, Bernardo Abeyta found the crucifix of Our Lord of Esquipulas in 1810. Since then, thousands of pilgrims and visitors have come to El Santuario de Chimayo seeking spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. The Catholic diocese operates the sanctuary, and it is a historic landmark.

My cousin and her family attend Sunday masses here in the Sanctuary. The small chapel is beautiful in its modest, old walls, covered with holy artifacts collected over many years. Candles are placed on one wall, where you can light one to remember a loved one. It is a holy place for prayer, meditation, and reflection. People enter and leave the sanctuary quietly and respectfully. We entered in silence.

In the room with the pocito, my cousin gave me a cup of the blessed earth. It was a solemn act of family kindness, and I kept the holy dirt. Seeing the walls in the room, covered with crutches and braces, posted handwritten notes, and photos of people, all acknowledging being touched by the power of healing, made me pause. My faith is renewed. There is hope in this life, and one day we all will be comforted and at peace.

My New Mexico cousins and great-uncle are lovely people. My grandfather’s sister is their grandmother. We have a ‘sangre’ blood connection – 2^nd or 3^rd cousins, great-uncle, great-aunts – are all family. “Mi hogar esta donde este mi familia.” My home is where my family is.

Chimayo showed me how deeply everyone is connected. Family is the most important social unit, with strong support for extended relatives. I formed a close bond with my cousins and great-uncles and felt welcomed as part of the family. We shared meals and family stories. I enjoyed the best Mexican food I have ever tasted, prepared with locally grown green chiles. In Chimayo, I found “mi familia” and discovered new family roots in the stunning Sangre de Cristo Mountains, among the beautiful people of Chimayo.