El Santuario de Chimayó in Chimayó, New Mexico, is a Roman Catholic shrine and one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the United States, drawing nearly 300,000 visitors each year. It grew from a small chapel built around 1810 by Bernardo Abeyta, and by 1816 the present adobe church had been completed as pilgrimages and reports of cures increased. Its most famous feature is el pocito, where visitors gather blessed earth called tierra bendita that many believe has healing power. Legends of its founding, long devotional use, and intense Holy Week pilgrimages have made it a lasting center of faith and tradition.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain