Tourism: Hey, Look at The Pilgrims!

Hey, Look at The Pilgrims!

For the past 170 years, thousands of devout Hispanic Roman Catholics have spent Good Friday tramping along roads that lead to Chimayo, a sleepy New Mexico village known for the sacred earth upon which the Santuario de Chimayo sits. Many of the pilgrims carry crosses on their journey, but this year they may feel inclined to brandish signs that say TOURISTS GO HOME! The source of their ire: New Mexico's tourism department, which is hyping the local shrine as the "Lourdes of America" in full-page ads in a dozen slick magazines, including Travel & Leisure, Holiday and Southern Living.

Worshipers are...

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