Crosses on the portal and bell towers of the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Santa Cruz, NM.

After about two months of shutting in at home, I called for a pandemic break yesterday and hopped into my truck early and pointed it north for a spell.

I wanted to see some nature, some new churches, and to take a few photos.

Thankfully, it turned out to be a really nice day.

The main objective of my trip was initially to visit San Antonio de Padua, an old church in the quiet valley town of Cordova, NM, but I knew I could visit quite a few other churches in the area as well. Cordova, sitting 14 miles east of Espanola, lies in the cradle region of Spanish settlement in New Mexico.

View from the overlook point near Cordova, NM.

When Oñate first trekked up into their exterior of the northern frontier of the New World, he came to the fertile land around the Rio Grande river in the Espanola Valley, and like numerous pueblos before him, decided to place the first Spanish presence in the new territory just north of present day Espanola at San Juan Pueblo (modern Ohkay Owingeh). Over time, Spanish settlements in New Mexico slowly radiated out from there, and with the establishment of each new community, churches were built so that priests could attend to the spiritual needs of the locals.

The number of old Spanish churches still present in northern New Mexico is pretty remarkable, but there is a strong concentration of them around Espanola.

As for my trip, I got up at 5 AM on Sunday and made some coffee and ate a bowl of cereal before packing a sack lunch and throwing my camera stuff in the truck. I was on the road by 5:30 AM, with dawn light already ushering in the new day.

I was in Espanola and onto Highway 76, the High Road to Taos- and in this case, Cordova- by 7:00 AM.

All in all, it was a greatly satisfying day trip. The skies above were mostly blue and the sun was warm all day. The roads were a little busy, but quiet ruled each of my stops.

Morning light kisses the entranceway to Holy Cross Catholic Church in Santa Cruz, NM.

My course took me from Holy Cross Catholic Church in Santa Cruz (visually, perhaps my favorite NM church to visit) on east into Cordova, where I found the San Antonio church nestled between old structures on a gentle hillside.

Side profile of San Antonio de Padua Church in Cordova, NM.

Courtyard, San Antonio de Padua Church in Cordova, NM.

After Cordova, I decided to continue east to take in the scenery around Truchas and to stop at its historic church, Nuestra Señora del Rosario. On the way, I stopped at the colorful hilltop Los Llanitos Cemetery to admire the views those resting here owned.

Vista view from the Los Llanitos Cemetery outside of Truchas, NM.

Courtyard, Nuesta Señora del Rosario Church in Truchas, NM.

After a walk around the Truchas church, I headed back west on 76 and parked in Chimayo in a lot under a tree across from the Ortega Weaving shop to eat my lunch. I then stopped in at a mostly deserted Santuario complex, except for three other church visitors, one who was an older local man who told me he was friends with local historians John Kessell and Marc Simmons, and that there was no proof any Acoma men actually lost a foot as a result of the Spanish punitive expedition against the pueblo’s revolt.

Obligatory photo of the Santuario in Chimayo, NM.

Relief on the Santo Niño Chapel in Chimayo, NM.

After Chimayo, I made my way back to Espanola and headed north on 84. I had a guide book that suggested a few other churches I might like to see lay in that direction, but an old mission in Hernandez caught my attention, and I took a little time to find it tucked away in a rural neighborhood just east of 84.

Side view of the San José de Chama Mission in Hernandez, NM.

It turns out that a former version of the church that sits on this site was featured in the famous Ansel Adams photograph, “Moonrise, Hernandez”, which was snapped back in 1941..

The tired front of the retired San José de Chama in Hernandez, NM.

I had considered making a few more stops in the day, but now mid-afternoon, the warm temperatures suggested it was probably time to get on home. I hopped back in the truck, fired up the air conditioner, returned to 84, and then aimed myself toward home. Familiar with the route, I enjoyed surveying hills and skies as I made my way back to Albuquerque.

Trees nearby Ortega’s Weaving shop in Chimayo, NM

Courtyard Cross, Cordova, NM.