Shadows of the crosses--III

Campo Santo at old San Geronimo church at Taos, which was destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.

Crosses of every shape and form dominate the ruined San Geronimo church at Taos Pueblo. The cemetery is holy ground, where hundreds of years of believers lie. Only Taos Indians may enter this area, while others may take photos from outside the adobe walls.
If you get on the backroads of the state, you find more little churches and capos santos and crosses everywhere, all decorated and remembered by the faithful, but especially during Holy Week in New Mexico. And the gravestones only multiply in size and variety of portraying the cross.

Church at Canoncito, near Santa Fe

Gravestone at Canoncito

Crosses at Canoncito

At Canoncito

Gravestone at Truchas, Penitente Morada in background

Cemetery near Penasco on High Road to Taos

Shadow of the cross--I

Shadow of the Cross, Ranchos de Taos, 11 x 15 watercolor, 300# d'Arches

Easter thoughts...from the symbol of death to life. The cross and execution of Jesus 2,000 years ago casts a long shadow. Where I grew up in very old and Catholic New Mexico, the cross is omnipresent. 

Holy Week is sacred there, with pilgrimages  and prayers and ceremonies and Catholicism. The iconic church of St. Francis at Ranchos de Taos has been painted by generations, and mine captures melting snow on a cold morning. Here's where I got the idea, and the crosses that cast the shadow, symbolic of the religion's influence.