Curvas Peligrosas

Welcome to my Curvas Peligrosas blog site. Life is full of dangerous curves, both metaphorically and literally. As I encounter the turns of the road, I often feel compelled to document the journey. This site is about the wonderful visual expressions of love, loss, and prayers found on the sides of roads and other sacred places I have visited. Please see “About the Project” for more. Currently, I have three sections to the site: Descansos (roadside memorials), Walsenburg Grotto (a site near Walsenburg, Colorado) and El Santuario de Chimayó (a church and sanctuary in New Mexico). I am adding photos as I have time so please enjoy and leave a comment if you wish.

 

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      Descansos

Descanso, Spanish for resting place, are roadside memorials erected to mark the place of a loved ones passing. Most often the result of car accidents, these descansos often include parts of the car wreck. In Baja, California, the memorials I saw often had a boveda, a small tomb-like structure that housed photographs and candles.

 

 

 

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     Walsenburg Grotto

Just outside of Walsenburg, Colorado, on highway 160, is a rock outcropping which is the site of a rather large “traileros” or “gruta” which do not mark the site of a death but serves as a place of devotion in the form of prayers and promises.

 

 

 

 

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      El Santuario de Chimayó

Believed to be built on sacred earth with miraculous healing powers, the legendary shrine El Santuario de Chimayó, is located between Santa Fe and Taos on highway 76 in New Mexico. For more information on this wonderful place, visit Chimayó.org. The entire church and sanctuary area is covered in prayer requests, and devotional tributes. It is the one of most visited churches in New Mexico and at times it can be quite crowded but along with the tourists you can also find pilgrims on foot on their way to the sanctuary.