CHURCHES ALONG THE PECOS RIVER / 2023

This  tour combines unique experiences along the Pecos River. We first visit one of the most historically significant churches in New Mexico, San Miguel del Vado, and afterward take a short walk through village ruins to the river.

En route to Villanueva we then stop to visit rarely seen churches in the villages of El Pueblo (San Antonio) and Sena (Cristo de Esquipulas).

After a picnic lunch (please bring your own meal) at a shrine above the Pecos valley, La Gruta, we visit one of New Mexico’s largely undiscovered treasures: the colcha embroidery panels at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Villanueva. The interior walls of the church are lined with forty-one panels—265 feet—of crewel embroidery on homespun cotton, representing themes of traditional life. Mellie Gonzales, the business manager at the church, provides insights and explanations as we view the panels.

The tour is guided by Frank Graziano, author of  Historic Churches of New Mexico Today (Oxford University Press, 2019). Transportation is by self-drive caravan, in your own car. The drive to  La Gruta is contingent on road conditions.

The group meets at 10:30 at San Miguel del Vado Church on Route 3, which is about 2.3 miles south of I-25 at exit 323, approximately forty-five miles from Santa Fe. The tour concludes around 3:00.