About Santuario de Chimayo (Historic Site) · Chimayo, New Mexico
El Santuario de Chimayó is a historic Roman Catholic adobe shrine in the village of Chimayó in northern New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, famous worldwide for the 'holy dirt' (tierra bendita) of its small room called el pocito and as the most important Catholic pilgrimage site in the United States. Founded in the early 1800s by Don Bernardo Abeyta after he unearthed a crucifix of the Lord of Esquipulas near the Santa Cruz River, the chapel was enlarged into its present adobe church in 1816 and is now a National Historic Landmark owned by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Each year nearly 300,000 pilgrims — many on foot — visit the Santuario, particularly during Holy Week, to pray for healing, take home vials of the sacred earth, and walk the Stations of the Cross that lead to the shrine.
- Established
- 1816
- Patron
- Our Lord of Esquipulas (Señor de Esquipulas) / Santo Niño de Atocha
- Rector
- Father Sebastián Lee, SF (Sons of the Holy Family)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
El Santuario de Chimayó offers a rare combination of active Catholic worship and living pilgrimage heritage. Daily Mass is celebrated in the historic Chapel of Our Lord of Esquipulas (with Spanish and English Sunday Masses), a priest is available for Confession and the Anointing of the Sick, weddings are welcomed by arrangement, and visitors can pray the outdoor stone-carved Stations of the Cross at any time of year. The shrine's two chapels, walled garden, museum-quality folk-art reredoses, and the small pocito of blessed earth draw nearly 300,000 pilgrims annually, so belonging here means sharing in a deeply rooted Hispano Catholic devotional tradition that stretches back more than two centuries — including the famous Good Friday pilgrimage revived by Bataan Death March survivors.
Mass times at Santuario de Chimayo (Historic Site)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Weekdays 9:30 am – 12:00 noon (priest available, may be cancelled for hospital calls)
- Weekdays 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm (priest available, may be cancelled for hospital calls)
- By appointment: email [email protected] with day and hour requested
Adoration times
- Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
About El Santuario de Chimayó
El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic adobe shrine in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico, located on NM-76 (the High Road) in the village of El Potrero within the broader Chimayó community. It is administered by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and served by priests of the Sons of the Holy Family order. Today the site is a National Historic Landmark, receives nearly 300,000 visitors per year, and is widely regarded as the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States. The Santuario complex comprises the main Chapel of Our Lord of Esquipulas (which houses el pocito, the pit of holy dirt), the Holy Child of Atocha Chapel, the Holy Family Chapel, the Native American Chapel, and the surrounding walled courtyard and Stations of the Cross.
History of the Santuario
The hill and earth of Chimayó were considered sacred by the Tewa-speaking Pueblo Indians long before Spanish contact. In 1810 Don Bernardo Abeyta, a Penitente, unearthed a crucifix identified as the Lord of Esquipulas near the Santa Cruz River, and the image famously returned to Chimayó three times after being taken to Santa Cruz. With permission from the Vicar General of Durango granted on February 8, 1814, Abeyta and his neighbors built the present large adobe church, completed in 1816. The chapel remained in the Abeyta family until 1929, when the Spanish Colonial Arts Society purchased it and gave it to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe; architect John Gaw Meem designed its 1930 metal roof. Father Casimiro Roca became the first resident priest in 1959 and served roughly forty years; in 1970 he secured the Santuario's place on the National Register of Historic Places, and it was designated a National Historic Landmark the same year.
- 1695 – Spanish settlers begin founding placitas around the hill 'Tsimayo'
- 1810 – Good Friday: Don Bernardo Abeyta unearths the Lord of Esquipulas crucifix
- 1813 – Abeyta petitions Fr. Sebastián Álvarez for a chapel
- 1814 – Vicar General of Durango grants permission (February 8)
- 1816 – Present large adobe church completed
- 1857 – Holy Child of Atocha Chapel built nearby
- 1929 – Spanish Colonial Arts Society buys the chapel and donates it to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- 1930 – John Gaw Meem designs the corrugated-metal pitched roof
- 1959 – Father Casimiro Roca, SF, becomes first assigned resident priest
- 1970 – Listed on the National Register; designated a National Historic Landmark
- 1946 – Walking Holy Week pilgrimage revived by Bataan Death March survivors
- 2003–2004 – Major artwork restoration by the Archdiocese and Museum of New Mexico
Architecture and Folk Art
Built of adobe with walls over three feet thick and twin front bell towers, the church measures roughly 60 feet long by 24 feet wide. It is entered through a walled courtyard with an arched gate topped by a cross. The elegant doors were carved by 19th-century carpenter Pedro Domínguez. The pointed caps on the bell towers and the corrugated-metal pitched roof (which covers the original clerestory openings) were added after 1917 — the roof itself a 1930 design by architect John Gaw Meem. Inside, the nave holds five original mid-19th-century reredoses (altar screens) painted with retablos of patron saints by santeros of the region, a six-foot-tall crucifix of the Lord of Esquipulas, and a small wooden sculpture of St. James the Great.
- Adobe construction with walls more than 3 feet thick
- Twin front towers with belfries
- Carved wooden doors by Pedro Domínguez (19th c.)
- Pitched metal roof designed by John Gaw Meem (1930)
- Five original 19th-century painted reredoses
- Six-foot crucifix of the Lord of Esquipulas
- Small sculpture of St. James the Great
- Vestibule/narthex of two side-by-side entry rooms
El Pocito — The Holy Dirt Room
Just off the nave is a small room called el pocito ('the little well') containing a round pit of blessed earth known as tierra bendita. Pilgrims take pinches of the dirt in vials, baby-food jars, or plastic baggies, often rubbing it on themselves or those they pray for; historically some ate it. The Archdiocese keeps the pit refilled with earth trucked in from the surrounding hills — up to 25–30 tons a year, sometimes more than once a day on heavy pilgrimage days. An adjacent prayer room displays the ex-votos left behind: photographs, handwritten petitions, children's shoes, and a remarkable collection of discarded crutches, braces, and canes testifying to claimed healings. The Church takes no official position on whether miracles have occurred there.
- Round pit of tierra bendita (holy dirt)
- 25–30 tons of replacement earth brought in each year
- Prayer room with ex-votos, photos, crutches, braces, canes
- Hundreds of children's shoes dedicated to Santo Niño de Atocha
Santo Niño de Atocha Chapel
A short walk from the Esquipulas Chapel, the Holy Child of Atocha Chapel was built in 1857 and is dedicated to Santo Niño de Atocha, patron of children, travelers, and the unjustly imprisoned. Its prayer room is famous for the hundreds of children's shoes left in devotion and the tiny boots tacked to the ceiling — a tribute to legends that the Christ Child wears out footwear on errands to comfort the suffering. The chapel is the spiritual focus of the Holy Week walking pilgrimage revived in 1946 by Nuevomexicano survivors of the Bataan Death March.
- Built in 1857
- Dedicated to Santo Niño de Atocha
- Famous devotional collection of children's shoes and tiny boots
- Spiritual starting point of the modern Holy Week pilgrimage
Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis)
Recently installed on the Santuario grounds, fourteen stone relief carvings depict the traditional Via Crucis. Pilgrims are invited to 'walk in the footsteps of Jesus' along the path year-round, with prayer cards available to guide reflection at each station. The Stations are a focal point during Lent and especially on Good Friday.
- Fourteen stone relief carvings
- Outdoor self-guided path
- Prayer cards available
- Especially used during Lent and on Good Friday
Sacraments
The Santuario welcomes the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance, and encourages pilgrims to take advantage of both. Weddings are permitted at the Santuario with written permission from the couple's parish priest; marriage preparation, however, takes place in the home parish. Couples celebrating anniversaries may arrange a blessing and renewal of vows during the 11:00 am daily Mass. The Anointing of the Sick is offered by appointment to those in need — email [email protected] or call (505) 351-9961.
- Eucharist — encouraged and welcomed
- Penance / Reconciliation — daily and by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment
- Matrimony — with home-parish permission and documentation
- Renewal of Wedding Vows — blessing at 11:00 am Mass by arrangement
Weddings and Vow Renewals
El Santuario encourages couples to marry in their home parish but warmly welcomes those who wish to celebrate at Chimayó, provided they supply written permission from their parish priest and forward all marriage-preparation documentation to the Santuario office at P.O. Box 235, Chimayó, NM 87522. For anniversaries, couples may receive a blessing during the 11:00 am Mass Monday through Saturday with prior arrangements, including a copy of their Catholic marriage certificate.
- Written permission from home parish priest required
- Marriage preparation must be done in home parish
- Send documentation to Santuario Office (P.O. Box 235, Chimayó, NM 87522)
- Vow renewal blessing available at 11:00 am Mass with prior arrangements
Pilgrimage and Holy Week
The Santuario is the destination of one of the largest Catholic pilgrimages in North America. Each Holy Week — especially Holy Thursday and Good Friday — some 30,000 pilgrims arrive on foot, by car, and by bus. The modern walking pilgrimage traces its roots to 1946, when Nuevomexicano survivors of the 1942 Bataan Death March organized the first walk after praying to the Santo Niño de Atocha during captivity. Pilgrims approach in many ways: walking from Santa Fe, Española, or even Albuquerque (about 90 miles); carrying crosses and rosaries; fulfilling a manda (vow or pledge), sometimes by crawling the final yards on their knees. Pilgrims take dirt from the pocito, leave crutches and petitions as ex-votos, and join the outdoor Stations of the Cross.
- 30,000+ pilgrims during Holy Week
- Walking pilgrimage from Santa Fe, Española, and as far as Albuquerque
- Bataan Death March survivors founded the modern pilgrimage in 1946
- Many pilgrims fulfill a manda (vow), sometimes by walking on knees
- Ex-votos left in the prayer room
Visiting Hours and Group Tours
The chapels and grounds are open every day for personal prayer. The Chapel of Our Lord of Esquipulas and the Holy Child of Atocha Chapel keep hours of 9:00 am – 5:00 pm from October through April and 9:00 am – 5:30 pm from May through September. Group tours, parish pilgrimages, and school visits can be arranged through the Santuario office; a tour-group permission form is available on the holychimayo.us website.
- Daily opening for personal prayer
- October–April: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
- May–September: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
- Group permission form available online
- Office hours Monday–Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Staff and Clergy
El Santuario is staffed by members of the Sons of the Holy Family (SF), an order that has served the shrine continuously since Father Casimiro Roca arrived from Barcelona in 1959. The current rector, Father Sebastián Lee, was ordained December 6, 1997 and came to the Santuario in 2018. He is assisted by Father John Plans, SF, who shares the schedule of confessions and spiritual guidance. Office contact is through the secretary at [email protected] or (505) 351-4360.
- Father Sebastián Lee, SF — Rector (ordained Dec 6, 1997; at Santuario since 2018)
- Father John Plans, SF — Confessions / Spiritual Guidance
- Office Secretary — [email protected]
Contact Information
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The main Santuario phone line is (505) 351-9961; the office phone is (505) 351-4360. Email inquiries may be sent to [email protected]. Mass intentions, group tours, sacraments, and confessions can all be arranged through these channels.
- Phone (Santuario): (505) 351-9961
- Phone (Office): (505) 351-4360
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cultural and Historical Significance
El Santuario de Chimayó stands at the meeting point of Indigenous and Hispano Catholic traditions. The Tewa considered the hill and its earth sacred for healing long before 1598; Spanish settlers overlaid this with Catholic devotion to the Black Christ of Esquipulas, brought north from Guatemala by Franciscan missionaries. The result is a syncretic shrine — Tewa land, Spanish devotion, Penitente-built adobe, santero-painted altars, and a 20th-century Holy Week pilgrimage revived by World War II veterans — that is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a touchstone of Nuevomexicano identity.
- Syncretism of Tewa and Spanish Catholic traditions
- Penitente (Los Hermanos de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno) heritage
- Franciscan mission connection to Esquipulas, Guatemala
- National Historic Landmark and National Register site
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Casimiro Roca, SF (Sons of the Holy Family)1959–c. 1999
First priest assigned to administer the Santuario; Spanish, from Barcelona; restored the building, established daily Mass, encouraged pilgrims; nominated the Santuario to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970; served roughly forty years. Famous admonition: 'it isn't the dirt that heals, it's the faith.'
- Father Julioearly 2000s
Served as parish priest during the 2003–2004 Archdiocese/Museum of New Mexico restoration and conservation project on the artwork.
- Father Sebastián Lee, SF2018–present
Member of the Sons of the Holy Family; ordained December 6, 1997; came to El Santuario de Chimayó in 2018; currently serves as rector/pastor.
