Une Envie de Sel

 On our way from Santa Fe to Taos, we always stop at the beautiful historic village of Chimayo, nestled in fertile valley near the Santa Cruz River, in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo mountains.

 Chimayo is known for its local crafts, woodcarving, painting and weaving and tin work, as well as for its Chapel, commonly known as the Santuario de Chimayo. A miracle was said to have happened hear some 200 years ago, and since people have made pilgrimages here for the santuario's legendary healing earth (now contained in a tiny, dark room off the main chapel, where you can bend and lift handfulls of earth from a small well in the floor). Others come for more spiritual sustenance, and still others to paint or photograph the stunning chapel, the image of which has fed the imagination of so many.

 I have to say that it never fails to take my breath away. Whatever the history of this spot, whatever the source of the legends, it is a place that feeds the soul.