OUR STORY
Chimayó’s renown for flavorful chile, fine weavers and artists, and the healing spirit at the Santuario de Nuestro Señor de Esquipulas give the town a prominent place among the many magical villages of Northern New Mexico. The cultural roots of these traditions reach deep, but few visitors take the time to learn about and preserve Chimayó’s rich historical past. The Chimayó Cultural Preservation Association is changing that.
At a community organizing meeting in the early 1990s, a group of Chimayó residents formed a committee whose members saw the importance of protecting and promoting Chimayó’s rich historical and cultural legacy. The group incorporated the Chimayó Cultural Preservation Association as a New Mexico non-profit corporation in 1995 with the mission to:
Promote historical research about Chimayó; to preserve and protect historic buildings and properties essential to the cultural heritage of Chimayó; to protect and preserve the historic record; to establish and maintain a Chimayó History Museum and create and maintain an archive relating to Chimayó’s history; and to foster community pride and encourage community members to preserve and respect Chimayó’s cultural heritage.
The CCPA fulfills this mission through a variety of community programs including Los Maestros, an educational program for children; Los Tesoros, an annual award program to honor Chimayó residents; and the Chimayó Museum. By building an archive of historical photographs and documents, gathering oral histories, maintaining historic buildings, and increasing community awareness, the Chimayó Cultural Preservation Association works to assure that visitors as well as future generations of Chimayosos can gain strength and wisdom rooted in Chimayó’s culture.
In addition to strong support from a wide community of donors, the Chimayó Museum and other programs of the Chimayó Cultural Preservation Association are supported in part by Hotel Chimayó de Santa Fe and Heritage Hotels and Resorts.
