Chimayo, New Mexico: El Santuario de Chimayo Shrine

Since I live in Espanola, we frequent the Santuario all the time. It helps to bring peace to mine and my daughter's lives. But it was September 11, 2001, that stands out in my mind most of all. After hearing about the terrorists attacks on our country we went to the Santuario to pray for the people that died, injured, or suffered the loss of love ones in the attacks. It was the only solice at the time of unsurety. Turns out that many others that I had gone to high school with thought the same thing. It is a place for miracles and for prayers to be answered. That is why we continue to go there regularly. I recently took my daughter there before her confirmation; it helped us to open our hearts to the beautiful mass we enjoyed later that evening.

Having a Catholic boyfriend, this was a must see. It's a little difficult to find if you don't speak Spanish. My advice, drive slow and don't be afraid to stop and ask at the local businesses. If you plan on shopping while you're asking directions, bring a good chunk of change. There are lots of woven items ... all beautiful but very pricey. The jewelry is beautiful as well and about what you would expect to pay for silver and turquoise anywhere in the southwest.

The chapel itself is very small and pretty. This is a peaceful spot. Before you get to the chapel itself, there are the Stations of the Cross. Again ... very peaceful.

After looking around the sanctuary, we headed to the "miracle dirt". Whether you believe in the healing powers or not, it's still very neat. There where lots of people there who obviously came for the healing powers of the dirt. Some people were grabby and filling up jar after jar.

Some were just there to touch it. The atmosphere is reverent. I got a little teary-eyed. We went to the gift shop and found a few items. They were reasonably priced. It's worth the trip, especially if you're Catholic (I'm not but I still enjoyed it :)