Land, Faith, and Community:

The Origins of Chimayó’s Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, 1840-2025

Brian W. Martínez

Mayordomo de la Capilla de los Dolores

Prologue by José Antonio Esquibel

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 This new publication (December 2025) documents for the first time the history of the Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores in Chimayó and the long line of stewards who have cared for the capilla and preserved the traditional Nuevomejicano expression of the Catholic faith, as well as the community devotion of Or Lady of Sorrows. This publication is an important contribution to the cultural history of Northern New Mexico.

When considering Chimayó many people will likely think of the Santuario de Chimayó, a well-known destination of visitors and of large numbers of the faithful who make a pilgrimage to the Santuario during Holy Week. The history of the Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores has been long neglected, until now.

Brian W. Martínez, the current mayordomo (steward) of the capilla, took on the challenge of conducting research into archival sources to uncover whatever information could be found regarding the capilla as a structure and he delved deeply into identifying the people who were stewards of the capilla from the late 1800s to the present day. Not surprisingly many of those individuals share common ancestors among the Martín Serrano clan, a family group with Chimayó roots reaching back to at least the 1640s.

By the mid-1900s, the congregation of the Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores became so large that it outgrew the space for Mass and the members petitioned the Archdiocese to build a parish church across the road from the capilla, which was christened Holy Family Church in Chimayó. Although Holy Family Church became the predominant space for the community expression of the Catholic faith, residents of Lower Chimayó continued to utilize the capilla for devotional practices related to veneration of Nuestra Señora e los Dolores and Nuestra Señora del Carmen, as well as for conducting the community activities of the annual Función (feast day) and Las Posadas.

Anyone with an interest in Nuevomejicano cultural history will find the material in this publication to be informative and intriguing. In addition to historical information about the capilla and the stewards, including detailed genealogical  analyses, the publication includes two intriguing appendices. Appendix 1 includes a transcription and English translation of  Novenas Oraciónes a Nuestra Señora de los Dolores from the early 1900s that were copied in 1921 with devotion and care by Noberto Martínez, a long-time mayordomo of the capilla, from a yet unidentified book that was well-worn. A second appendix provides the rules for mayordomos.

Exterior and Interior of the Capilla de Nuetra Señora de los Dolores, Chimayó (2025). Photos by Brian W. Martínez.