Sacred Destinations: Pilgrimage in the American Southwest
An exploration of spaces, ritual, and the journeys that create stories
“Happy are those who find refuge in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrim roads.”
Psalm 84:6 (NAB)
click for direct links to the project and presentation
The Exciting and Terrifying Beginning
This project (a creative writing and research thesis) was the first of its kind at Texas A&M; I had full license to explore any subject, in any way I saw fit. That was empowering and totally frightening. In prayer one day, I read Psalm 84, which is about the journey of life as a “pilgrimage” to the human’s heavenly homeland. I chose to study pilgrimage because of its breadth: it combined religious, historical, anthropological, and spiritual themes, and it encouraged creative, rather than purely theoretical, engagement. My advisor, Dr. Susan Stabile, advised me to put parameters on the project to narrow its focus, so I chose a region—the American Southwest—and three regional pilgrimage sites (places people often visit with a spiritual or religious intention).
Temple Square, Salt Lake City, UT
Santuario de Chimayó, Chimayó, NM
Sedona, AZ
Caffeinate and Annotate
I read both academic and narrative literature on the sites, as well as leading anthropological theories of pilgrimage and spiritual tourism. The photo of all the scattered papers captures one of my many coffee-fueled deep-dives.
To keep track of my findings and draw out parallels, I organized my research into categories: historical background of each site; aesthetics (architecture and/or environment); effects of tourism industry and economics; communal participation (rituals, rites, etc.); and the spiritual or interior experience of pilgrims.
Learning in the Wild
Pilgrimage tends to involve going somewhere, so I decided to take a trip to Chimayó, since it was the only site I’d never visited before. I booked a flight, car, and AirBnb; set up interviews with local historians and artists; and gave myself three days to experience the place as a pilgrim would: going to Mass, making offerings, praying. It was a personal retreat and research trip and writing time all wrapped into one. I also informally interviewed dozens of fellow pilgrims and visitors to expand my experiential knowledge and discover new narratives.
In order to add to my own experiences, I interviewed people who’d been to Salt Lake City and Sedona, either for religious or touristic reasons. Getting to talk to Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) missionaries and New Age practitioners taught me about interview preparation and using religious language correctly. I realized the value of honoring people’s traditions; it made them open and relaxed in conversation.
Notice my excitement at a postcard of the Salt Lake City Temple!
A Story Unfolds
Putting it all together was one of the most difficult and engaging tasks of my life. I had to develop stories, make scraps of facts and theories into a cohesive whole, and cut unnecessary themes and tangents in favor of my conclusions.
Writing my thesis wasn’t just a process of compiling work; it really was a whole new way of discovering. It was so exciting to see little wisps of thought I’d had throughout the year—all the annotations in the margins of my research and quick reminders in my journal—turn into something substantial. The interplay of story and anthropology, history and poetry, research and creativity, made me realize that “academic” and “artistic” binaries are false. In fact, I think they’re most effective when they’re combined.
Notice my excitement at the wonder that is Sedona, AZ!
Sharing is Caring
I gave a hybrid presentation: half lecture, half poetry and prose reading. The greatest delight of this day was getting to show my friends and family how much work I’d put in, what had consumed my thoughts, and why they always heard me talking about Yi-Fu Tuan’s theory of place and space.
The End?
It was a great honor to receive the top award for research theses at Texas A&M. I’m even more excited that my work opened doors for other writers and artists to do thoughtful, grounded projects that can continue to build bridges between the humanities and other departments at my school.
Honestly, even after the late nights and long hours of typing, I’m left craving more projects like this one. The work became all-consuming in the best way. It occupied my reading and writing, my conversations and inner life and travels. I hope that my future holds opportunities to work and create with my whole being. The ideas and stories developed because they engaged every aspect of my humanity, not in spite of it, and I loved it.
Like they say, you can take the girl out of the pilgrimage, but you can’t take the pilgrimage out of the girl.
