Nestled in a valley at the feet of the Sangre de Cristo mountains of New Mexico, the Santuario de Chimayó is a Catholic church famous for its miraculous healing dirt. The Healing Power of the Santuario de Chimayó is the first book-length history of this remarkable church, often referred to as the American Lourdes. The book introduces the reader to the fascinating stories of Bernardo Abeyta, the builder of the Santuario; the Pueblo and Nuevomexicano Catholic origins of the holy dirt and the pilgrimage; the rise and proliferation of a semi-autonomous Hispano Catholicism; the eventual sale of the ... More

Nestled in a valley at the feet of the Sangre de Cristo mountains of New Mexico, the Santuario de Chimayó is a Catholic church famous for its miraculous healing dirt. The Healing Power of the Santuario de Chimayó is the first book-length history of this remarkable church, often referred to as the American Lourdes. The book introduces the reader to the fascinating stories of Bernardo Abeyta, the builder of the Santuario; the Pueblo and Nuevomexicano Catholic origins of the holy dirt and the pilgrimage; the rise and proliferation of a semi-autonomous Hispano Catholicism; the eventual sale of the Santuario and transfer of the property to the Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe; and the growth of the modern pilgrimage alongside the arrival of thousands and thousands of tourists and other visitors. Drawing on extensive archival research as well as fieldwork in Chimayó, The Healing Power of the Santuario de Chimayó applies the metaphor of “religious ownership” to examine the claims that various constituencies have made on the Santuario, its stories, dirt, miracles, ritual life, commercial value, and aesthetic character. The importance of the story of the Santuario de Chimayó goes well beyond its sacred dirt and includes the role Southwestern Hispanics and Catholics have played in American religious history and identity in general.