Chimayo, NM Road Trips
Plan drives from Chimayo, NM with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Ken Jacobsen
Trip Routes
1
Longest Drive
350.4 mi
Sunland Park, NM
Quickest Drive
6h 22m
Sunland Park, NM
Plan Around Chimayo, NM
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Useful if Chimayo, NM is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.
Chimayo, NM by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
2,726
Median Income
$52,305
Median Home Value
$214,000
Median Age
48.1
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Chimayo, NM
Chimayó is a small town in North Central New Mexico. At the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Chimayó is most well-known for its famed church that has a reputation for delivering miracles. Originally a Spanish farming settlement, Chimayó is part of a string of villages along NM 76 that haven't changed much over the course of time, offering a unique look at life in such a setting.
1 Santuario de Chimayo. More completely named "El Santuario de Nuestro Señor de Esquipulas," the Santuario is a church that dates to the Spanish mission period with a remarkable reputation for miracles, including healing the sick and lame. It's located on the outskirts of the small town, just off NM 503 on the south side of the village, and can be visited for free during daylight hours, although donations are appreciated. The Santuario is quite famous among the towns of the mountains and is the destination for a unique pilgrimage during the week before Easter (see below under Do). (updated Aug 2016)
Santuario de Chimayó is the destination for pilgrims who hike (sometimes for several days and many tens of miles) along the highways from the surrounding area as a gesture of faith and also in the hopes of taking advantage of the church's reputation for miraculous cures. If you're Catholic and have some time leading up to Easter, consider joining the throng; if you're just driving in the area then, be extra careful of pedestrians.
1 Rancho de Chimayo, 300 Santa Fe County Rd 98, ☏ +1 505 984-2100 (reservations advised). Hours vary seasonally; call or visit their web site. Definitive "New Mexican" cuisine (stuffed sopapillas, red and green chile, etc.) in a gorgeous setting. Dinner entrees average around $10.
1 Casa Escondida, 64 Co Rd 100, ☏ +1 505-351-4805. 2 Rancho Manzana, 26 Camino de Mision, toll-free: +1 888-505-2227, [email protected].
Albuquerque is the nearest city with a major airport, although Santa Fe has off-again, on-again commercial jet service as well. Chimayó is reachable from Santa Fe on good and scenic 2-lane roads, but be a bit careful driving on them in the winter, as this is high country and mountain snowstorms can make a nasty mess out of a good road in remarkably short order. NM 76 east from Española or NM 503 northeast from Pojoaque will bring you to Chimayó. Taking the free bus service of the NCRTD involves riding route 150 (Monday-Friday) from either Española (go here if coming from Santa Fe) or Las Trampas (connections with the 330 from Taos).
Chimayó has a lamentably well-founded reputation as a center for narcotics trafficking, being on the "pipeline" for drugs coming into the United States from Mexico. Mind your own business and you won't have any problems, but this is a place where you do not want to interrupt a drug transaction, even inadvertently. Keeping a low profile in town (which mainly means sticking to the main road) is a very good idea.
Travel tips adapted from Chimayó on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
Trips to Chimayo, NM
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