NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Every year on Good Friday, many New Mexicans make the annual pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayó and Tomé Hill. This year, Good Friday falls on March 29.
El Santuario de Chimayó Pilgrimage
The New Mexico Department of Transportation met with local emergency response personnel to prepare for pilgrimage and ensure all people are safe while participating. The majority of people walk along roads, including US 84/285, which goes From Santa Fe to Española, through Pojoaque and Nambé. Located between Santa Fe and Taos, the Santuario de Chimayó is considered a sacred pilgrimage site. Many people make the journey for the ‘Tierra Bendita,’ or holy dirt there.
NMDOT says crews will take the following steps to ensure everyone makes it to and from their destination safely.
- Crews will set up traffic control devices and pedestrian walking signs.
- Walkers will be guided to the on/off ramps at interchanges between Santa Fe and Cuyamungue.
- At the Cuyamungue Interchange, orange barrels and signage will guide the walkers away from the mainline and onto the east frontage road.
- Temporary stop signs will be placed at interchange locations to allow walkers to pass.
- All cattle guards along the routes will be covered.
- Additional signage and electronic message boards will also be placed along parts of N.M. 76 and N.M. 503 to alert motorists of the high volume of pedestrians on the roadway.
- Portable light plants will be placed in the area of the Pojoaque Wellness Center, and the intersections of N.M. 503 and CR 84; N.M. 503 and CR 98; N.M. 103 and N.M. 76 and on N.M. 76 at mile marker 8 (Apple Shed) to provide additional lighting for those walking at night.
- There will be trash receptacles along all traditional walking paths.