Chimayo is a village in a fold of the high desert foothills of northern New Mexico, at about 1,800 metres, and it holds one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the United States. The Santuario de Chimayo, a small adobe church completed in 1816, stands in a courtyard shaded by cottonwoods, with twin bell towers and a simple, dignified interior. Inside a side room, a small hole in the floor, the pocito, contains soft earth said to have healing properties, and every year tens of thousands of pilgrims come, many on foot, to take a pinch of the soil, with the greatest numbers on Good Friday.
The village is also known for its crafts and its food. Weaving has been a tradition here since the Spanish colonial period, and several families, whose looms have been working for generations, produce rugs and blankets in distinctive designs. Chimayo chile, a heirloom variety grown in the valley, is prized for its flavour, a deep red with a sweet, earthy taste, and you will see it hanging in ristras, strings of dried peppers, on doorways. A well-known restaurant in an old family house, which has been serving New Mexican food since the 1960s, is a favourite stop, with a shaded patio and dishes built around local chile.
The road you are on is the High Road to Taos, a scenic route through the Sangre de Cristo foothills that links small Hispanic villages founded in the eighteenth century. Further along, Truchas has views down to the Rio Grande valley and across to the Jemez Mountains, and Las Trampas has a beautifully preserved adobe church from the 1760s. The road is paved, with tight curves, steep climbs and narrow stretches, and the traffic is light. Weather can bring thunderstorms in summer and snow in winter, so check conditions.
Fuel is not available in the village, and Espanola, about twelve kilometres away, is the nearest town with stations, supermarkets and restaurants. Fill up there before heading up the High Road. Parking at the church is limited at busy times, and a visit during Holy Week can mean long queues. Show respect, because this is a place of worship as well as a landmark. The light in the late afternoon is warm and golden, and the smell of piñon smoke in the evenings is one of the best things about northern New Mexico.