Scenic Tour--Miracles to Minerals

In Search of Miracles

We set out west from Angel Fire early one day headed toward Rancho de Taos and turned onto Highway 518 south through a mountainous terrain. Presently we came to Highway 75, which curved around through villages of Vadito and Penasco with a turn on Highway 76 to the west, which soon also faced south. We found a friend there, a pleasant and talkative native who sold us a few mementoes and gave me several rocks he had lying around his small shop. He told us he had been an extra in the movie, "Milagro Beanfield War," which had filmed some scenes at Las Trampas in addition to the somewhat larger tiny town of Truchas, a few miles up the road. "Milagro, of course, is Spanish for "miracle."

We were looking for lunch by that time, and he thought Truchas had such a cafe. He was mistaken. All we could find there was a small store where we bought a bag of blue corn chips for the road and a cold drink. From Truchas to Espanola, a distance of less than 20 miles, took us about 45 minutes. But when we spotted an historic restaurant called El Paragua, we knew the wait was worth it.

  
After a tasty Mexican lunch, we took Highway 84 north and west to Abiquiu, where we got out  of the car to explore. 

 

Abiquiu Churches

The focal point of the village was clearly the lovely adobe church, surrounded by an assortment of colorful desert flora. But the church was not the only thing in Abiquiu, which also had a library and a small museum.

As we wandered down the dusty streets, taking photos, however, we discovered another intriguing sight, which we could hardly wait to ask about. Another church that appeared almost abandoned could be seen a hundred yards or so beyond the museum. It was a breathtaking sight! Next to the church stood three enormous crosses.


As we walked past the crosses an even more beguiling scene caught our attention. Mere words do not do it justice. After making an inquiry at a grocery store a few miles away, we learned this weathered building was the meeting place of the Penitente Brotherhood.  My husband googled the name and became quite fascinated by this religious sect which, in times past, engaged in flagellation, or self-whipping, to atone for their sins.  According to Marc Simmons'  review in The New Mexican of a book written by George
Wharton James--New Mexico, The Land of the Delight Makers (1920):

One of the first outsiders to comment on the Penitente phenomenon was Santa Fe trader Josiah Gregg in 1844. He wrote of viewing a procession at Tomé below Albuquerque, in which a man bore a 100-pound cross on his shoulder with a large stone attached to increase the weight.

Thereafter, toward the end of the century, American observers in growing numbers wrote books and articles describing the bizarre rites they witnessed. In response, the Penitentes attempted to maintain secrecy and exclude intruders.

After filing away our lesson for the day, we headed back to Angel Fire -- completing a circle through the resort of Ojo Caliente on Highway 285.

Ojo Caliente

Because the day was almost gone, we took a quick look around, determining to save a more luxurious visit to the famous spa for another day. Possibly America's oldest mineral spa, its name is Spanish for "hot eye".

Another missed opportunity last year was a visit to Georgia O'Keefe's house and the Ghost Ranch. We'll definitely try to fit that in this year.