Description

Sanctuario Chimayo, built in 1816, is an example of Roman Catholic Spanish colonial churches. It has thick adobe walls, two bell towers, and a six-foot crucifix. This pilgrimage site is where many invalids hope to be cured by the dirt in a round pit inside the sanctuary that is believed to have healing powers. “The Sanctuario was a place to inspire reverence even in the non-believer,” Baumann commented. “Worshipers with secret wishes come from far places to light a candle before the altar asking that their prayers be granted as the wax drips onto the adobe floor.” Baumann made a color woodcut of the scene in 1924.