2 Best Sights in Chimayo, Day Trips from Santa Fe

This small, frontier, adobe church has a fantastically carved and painted reredos (altar screen) and is built on the site where, believers say, a mysterious light came from the ground on Good Friday in 1810 leading to the discovery of a large wooden crucifix beneath the earth. The chapel sits above a sacred pozito (a small hole), the dirt from which is believed to have miraculous healing properties. Dozens of abandoned crutches and braces placed in the anteroom—along with many notes, letters, and photos—testify to this. The Santuario draws a steady stream of worshippers year-round—Chimayó is considered the Lourdes of the Southwest. During Holy Week as many as 30,000 pilgrims come here. The shrine is is surrounded by small adobe shops selling every kind of religious curio imaginable and some very fine traditional Hispanic work from local artists. A smaller chapel, Santo Niño de Atocha, was built in 1857 and lies 200 yards away. As at the more famous Santuario, the dirt in this place of worship is said to have healing properties.

From Chimayó to Peñasco, the High Road is home to a number of mostly low-key but generally high-quality art galleries, many of them run out of the owners' homes. During the final two weekends in September each year, more than 30 artists show their work in the High Road Art Tour; for a studio map, or plenty of useful information on galleries open not just during the tour but year-round, visit the website.