Pilgrimage to Chimayo: Contemporary Portrait of a Living Tradition

Rating:
Summary: Documentation of a Tradition
Review: This is an impressive documentation of the annual Holy week pilgrimage to the santuario in the village of Chimayo in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains in northern New Mexico. The text provides illuminating insights into the history and tradition, both Indian nd Hispanic, of the shrine and the pilgrimage. The photographs, excellently reproduced, present a sensitive, inspired and inspirational, documentation of the people, the place and the journey. There are hikers nad bikers, children, old people, campfires, men bearing crosses, and on the back cover an image that points up the interface between modern life and ancient tradition. It shows a large, illuminated highway department sign that says: "PILGRAMS (sic) EXIT TO FRONTAGE." Quotations, some in Spanish, some in English, illustrate the variety of stories and motivations behind these journeys. This is a magnificent chronicle of an important piece of New Mexico tradition.