About thirty miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tomé, near
Los Lunas is a popular destination for pilgrims celebrating the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday. This year, I made an early morning trip by car down Interstate 25, to park as close as the traffic police would allow me - about one quarter mile away from the hill itself. I joined others, many of whom had already walked several miles to arrive in Tomé in the early-morning ascent before the arrival of the thousands who were to follow later.
At the peak of the hill three tall crosses next to a rustic altar reached up to the heavens. The glorious sunrise and the 360-degrees, gorgeous views of towns, fields and villages made it feel more like Easter than a somber Good Friday morning. I descended the craggy, stony path with a feeling of having accomplished something special, taking note that the groups ascebding hill were growing in size
(First published Good Friday, 2007)
Eloise Gift
Gift Realty NM
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 363-5156
