los portales shrine

This is truly one of those 'only in New Mexico' experiences. What we have here is a shrine tucked into the end of a large cave-almost like an outdoor amphitheater- just north of the Laguna Pueblo, 61 miles west of Albuquerque's Old Town. Known as the "Shrine of our Lady of Bernadette of Lourdes" or the "Lourdes of America," and built in the 1830s, it is simple, yet powerful. The location is very remote, as it is in high desert wilderness. The drive to the Shrine is about one hour from Albuquerque. A standard vehicle will be able to negotiate the roads with little problem. You should allow about an hour to see the Shrine, more if you will be hiking or picnicking in the area. Make sure you visit the little church you pass as you drive to the Shrine.This shrine is located in the small village of Seboyeta (also referred to as Cebolleta, which means 'little onion' in Spanish). Seboyeta is one of the oldest Hispanic settlements in this region of New Mexico, part of the Cebolleta Land Grant. Seboyeta was the first village settled by the Spanish west of the Rio Grande in 1800. There were 30 adult settlers and their families who trekked from Atrisco/Albuquerque to the Cebolleta Land Grant. El Canyon de Seboyeta had good, fertile soil and it offered good protection from the elements and Navajo raids. As you approach the shrine, you will see that it rests next to a natural spring. This makes for a lush area in the midst of land that otherwise appears hard and barren. In fact, we visited the shrine on Christmas Day 2013, and though the outside temperature was close to 30, a leafy rose grew adjacent to the shrine. There are a variety of legends to account for the presence of this shrine in such a remote location. One legend claims that, in the early days of the settlement, the Navajo reduced Seboyeta's Spanish male population to 15. The surviving colonists walked over 1,000 miles to Chihuahua, Mexico, asking to be sent back to Spain. The viceroy's response was to order them back to Seboyeta to carry out their agreement to colonize the area. The legend holds that they walked back, at which point they erected the shrine to Our Lady of Mercy. Another legend holds that Navajo women and children hid in the cave, promising to build a shrine if their husbands and sons returned safely from conflict.