Week 5: Views and visit to Chimayo,

On Thursday 1st March (Spring???) we had a 'Desert' Day and I went for a fairly long walk (6 - 8 miles) up a dirt road that heads towards Santa Fe National Forest and the Snowfields. The views became better and better and I tried to take a Panorama towards the south with the cloud-covered Jemez Mountains on the right. (See photos below) The little specks of white on the nearer ground are bits of snow. Despite the fine-looking weather, it was absolutely FREEZING!!! I kid you not! There was a brisk breeze - straight off the snow-clad slopes no doubt - and I was heartily grateful for the thermal cap I wore over my whole head including ears, but regretful that I didn't wear the wind/water resistant sports pants I bought recently. I also would have been more comfortable with gloves, although I tucked my hands in my sleeves and that makes life bearable. Apart from that, my upper body was reasonably warm under 1) singlet, 2) T-shirt 3) flanelette blouse, 4) wind-cheater 5) wind-resistant sports jacket (size 24), borrowed from things left behind by previous participants at Sangre.

I also had a bit of fun photographing some signs. I hope you can read them all. If you can't, just click on the picture and it will enlarge and then you will have no trouble reading/looking at it.

On Friday, we had a whole-group excursion in a convoy of the 4 Sangre vehicles, to the town of Chimayo, about 35 miles away to the west. There is a centre of pilgrimage there - El santuario - which is of great interest. They call it the 'Lourdes' of New Mexico, but, instead of holy water, they have 'holy dirt'!

When we arrived a priest, Fr Jim, there gave us a very interesting talk inside the Church. He explained that the Cross behind the Altar was an original Mayan one from the 1800s. Apparently the Mayans had a legend - long before the Spaniards arrived - that a King would come and save them and that he would die on a tree. They have a tree (I forget the name) which grows to about 100 ft and the only branches are in the form of a cross at the top, while the roots are only four, stretching in four directions. When the Spaniards arrived, their message was welcomed. I forget a lot of details but someone commissioned someone do do these Crucifixes with Mayan figures on them, and one ended up in New Mexico at Chimayo. There is also a legend of a farmer ploughing a field and a cross emerged from the ground, and that is why the ground is holy. (I am obviously giving you a very abbreviated version of everything - with a lot of details sketchy). People come to El Santuario to pray for special intentions and to scoop holy dirt from a hole in a side room to place where they want the help. They also bring statues and pictures and leave them there. I took a lot of photos and here are a few:

1. Myself at the entrance to the area;
2: View of El Santuario

3. A particularly graphic suffering Christ just inside the church.

Look at the hands - how expressive!

4. The Mayan Crucifix 5. A Crucifixion scene to its right 6. A beautifully garbed Little King to its left
Below, you will see some of the religious pictures and objects in a side room, just before the room with the holy dirt. The pictures are too numerous to detail, and I don't know who the very Spanish-looking child is - perhaps another version of the Little King? But a sign in front of this statue (and others) asks people not to throw holy dirt on the statues! People come in their thousands to El Santuario, especially on Good Friday, when about 30,000 come. We will be going there then again - walking either 25 miles, 9 miles or 4 miles. I think, I will be lucky to make the 9 - perhaps 4 will be more prudent. The road is very up and down through the hills.

Below again, are some of the religious items on the walls in the Holy Dirt Chapel (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the hole in the middle of the floor from which people take the holy dirt!). Apparently there are a few holy places at which you can get holy dirt and at one they make tiny bricks which you can drink in your tea!!!!! The picture on the right - with my flash light reflecting from the glass - is another Mayan Crucifix (small) brought there in the 1800s. It was a very interesting visit and the devotional, with a heavy emphasis upon the sufferings of Christ, although it is not a devotional style which has great appeal for me, but it is interesting to see the Spanish and Mayan influences in an area where people are Hispanic, Indian, and European. And it is heart-warming to see the genuine devotion of so many people. The lady who cut my hair yesterday told me she had done the pilgrimage to El Santuario, when I spoke about going there. It will be quie a sight on Good Friday. I will do a few longer walks (like the one written about about which was about 7 miles, uphill for the trip out) and see if I feel up to the 9 miles. The 25 miles is an absolute NO NO for me!
One of the priests here on the course, who spent many years in Ghana, told us of a Ghanian lady back where he worked who had the most wonderful faith he had ever experienced. She was elderly and in a wheelchair and, unaided, looked after a lot of orphans ( I forget the number - could have been a hundred). Whenever she ran out of resources she prayed out loud, Lord, I really need xxxx now. Please send it to me. And within minutes someone would arrive at the door with what was needed! She had run the orphanage for years with no source of income - just prayer - and a lot of activity with the children. Really makes you think!

I'll finish up with a few pictures of the scenery along the road today. You will see 'Camel Rock' which is near a big Casino of the same name along the highway here. You will also get a glimpse of the landscape away from the mountains which so easily forms canyons, mesas and buttes. You will also see the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains (the latter's tallest peak looks like a Christmas pudding now with snow just on the top). Then I will finish and post this or it will be too too long! Bye for the present. Rita