El Santuario de Chimayó

I went on a scenic tour of the area north of Santa Fe yesterday because I wanted to sketch the church at Chimayó. It's a very powerful pilgrimage destination. It was a very nice drive up there and a lovely day. There were a few folks inside the church chanting the Hail Mary, a group that I joined for a while. Then I found myself a seat outdoors, in front of the famous doors that have never been closed. It's a lovely spot and I did a few drawings, one of which is above.

Next I stopped at the famed Rancho de Chimayó Restaurant, which on all my other trips to Chimayó I seemed to hit at a time when the parking lot was overflowing. Yesterday I got there at about 11:40am and got right in! The service was delightful, a very sweet waitress in 'traditonal' Hispanic costume of black full gathered skirt, mid-calf length, wide red sash, white blouse with white lace around the neck, and puffed sleeves. (The blouse was worn sort of off the shoulders and, on my waitress at least, revealed a --[sigh]-- tattoo on her back! But oh well! She was a sweetie!) Anyway, the food was not at all great and the place was messy and cluttered and dusty. The gardens around the patio showed quite alota bare dirt.
But! When I left, the parking lot was overflowing. Which says that yes, you can rely entirely on reputation, service, location and dispense with that pesky detail of offering good food.

The sienna tint on the blouse of the woman in the above sketch is done with the red pepper sauce from my Carne Adovada, smeared onto the paper with my little finger. Discretely of course! Alas, the peppery aroma has since vanished...