It’s that time again - time to honor the land, the water, the animals and the plants of the desert we all call home.
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Rd., will host its 25th annual Blessing of the Fields from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, May 16th. Admission is free.
A procession will wind through the museum’s grounds.
The blessing pays tribute to San Ysidro, the patron saint of farmers. His Saint Day is May 15.
The morning opens with a welcome from the Museum, followed by the Prayer of the Four Directions led by Patrick Narvaez, Cacique of the Corporación de los Indígenas de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Tortugas and Tortugas Pueblo. The procession will be guided by the Most Reverend Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces and Reverend Alejandro Reyes of Hatch.
Students from Las Cruces Catholic Schools will join in the ceremony, connecting younger generations to centuries-old traditions, and learn from storytelling rooted in cultural and spiritual history.
The procession will feature a handcrafted bulto, which means carving, of San Ysidro created by local artist Virginia Maria Romero. Inside the Museum, visitors can explore exhibits and find a wooden San Ysidro sculpture in the Main Gallery. From 1070 to 1130, San Ysidro worked in the fields for a wealthy landowner and was known for his devotion, his humility and his generosity to those less fortunate than him.
For many years, workers in San Miguel would make a pilgrimage each May, stopping at all the villages along the Mesilla Valley to enjoy a fiesta with food and entertainment. The day’s festivities will include a plant sale from the Museum’s greenhouse — just in time for spring planting.
