Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
just down the road at Elk Creek Trailhead. Another good spot is Trujillo Meadows near
the top of the pass. A reservoir stocked with trout is nearby, as is the Continental Divide.
Comfortable cabins and B&B accommodations, all with private bath, are available at
Conejos River Ranch
( 719-376-2464;
www.conejosranch.com
; 25390 Hwy 17; cabins $140-235, lodges d
$98-125; )
, 14 miles west of Antonito. Six fully equipped riverside cabins are on hand
- our favorite is the bright and airy La Casita - and there are eight comfortably furnished
lodge rooms. All of them include breakfast. There are even facilities for horses.
Getting There & Away
To reach the Conejos River from Antonito, travel directly west on Hwy 17.
LONESOME SONG OF THE PENITENTE
Of the characters who populate the pre-American history of Colorado's deep south - native Utes, Franciscan mis-
sionaries, Spanish prospectors - none are more mysterious than Los Hermanos Penitente, a secretive religious
sect of men that thrived in the early 19th century. Some say the Penitente's membership drew from the furthest
outcasts of 19th-century Southwestern society, a servant class of Native Americans who worked as housekeepers
and shepherds, called
genízaros
. Because of their remote location and cast-off social status, Los Hermanos had
limited access to the sacred traditions of Spanish Catholicism, which had taken root in the region - some com-
munities were visited by a priest as little as once a year. So they took matters into their own hands. Meeting in
humble meeting houses called
moradas,
their ceremonies evolved into a fairly grisly brand of mystical Catholi-
cism that sought spiritual awakening through the suffering of the Passion of Christ.
Penitente
rituals involved
lashing each other with amole weed or binding themselves to a heavy wooden cross. Some sects ended their
Good Friday ceremonies with an actual crucifixion, the last fatal instance of which was recorded in the 1890s. If
you visit San Luis near Easter, the echoes of this tradition are evident in the town's elaborate Holy Week celebra-
tions.
The mournful songs of Los Hermanos Penitente are called
alabados,
haunting, unaccompanied hymns that
blend Hispanic
folclórica
with elements of droning Native American song. Often sung at death rituals, funeral
processions and burials,
alabados
have themes that are, like the group itself, fixated on the suffering and torture
of Christ. New World Records has compiled an excellent compilation of salvaged historical recordings of Penit-
ente chapters singing
alabados - Dark & Light in Spanish New Mexico: Alabados y Bailes,
the only released re-
cording of the music and the perfect soundtrack to the long, dry scenery of a drive through the region. For more
information about Los Hermanos Penitente, look to Dr Marta Weigle's definitive study,
Brothers of Light, Broth-
ers of Blood,
published by the University of New Mexico Press.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Penitente Canyon
ELEV 8000FT
