Roadside Shrines

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I have often wondered -- what are the stories behind the tiny arched chambers I've noticed by the side of the highway in southern Arizona? As it turns out, these miniature shrines are known as capillitas (small chapels), grutas (grottoes), or nichos (niches), and carry important religious significance in the Hispanic culture. They are often erected as the fulfillment of a promise upon the granting of a prayer -- for example, that a loved one safely return home from an overseas war. Perhaps they are placed in memory of a loved one who has passed on. Whatever their origin, each continues as a place of devotion and prayer. The form and the furnishings (statues, flowers, votive candles) are that of the church, but in miniature; like churches, each capillita is a microcosm of the human experience: birth, life, death, history, eternity. As I paused on my journey to photograph and pay my respects at these shrines, I discovered that each one is a window into the great and eternal mystery.


Highway 86 at mile marker 57.8. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 86 at mile marker 58. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 86 at mile marker 63.5. Last visited: January 2010.


Highway 86 at mile marker 68.4. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 3. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 8. Last visited: January 2010.


Highway 15 at mile marker 14.5. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 22. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 27.8. Last visited: January 2010.


Highway 15 at mile marker 28. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 29. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 30.6. Last visited: January 2010.


Highway 15 at mile marker 35.8. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 39.2. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 40.7. Last visited: January 2010.


Highway 86 just east of Hwy 85. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 86 at mile marker 76. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 20.4. Last visited: January 2010.
Pablito R. Gastelum * 05-Nov-1986 + 21-Jun-2003 Q. E. P. D. Dios, tu me lo prestaste para nuestra dicha, ahora nos lo reclamas y te lo entregamos con el corazón hecho pedazos pero hagase señor tu voluntad. Papacito te queremos mucho.	Michael Lopez 9/6/78 - 9/25/92	Our Beloved Son & Brother Robert A. Juan April 29, 1953 Dec. 2, 1979


Highway 15 at mile marker 41.6. Last visited: January 2010.	Highway 15 at mile marker 46.6. Last visited: January 2010.


San Javier del Bac mission (on side of hill). Last visited: March 2010.	7431 Mission Road. Last visited: March 2011.
Erected by the Bishop of Tucson A.D. 1908 The fiftieth anniversary of the wondrous apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God at the Grotto of Lourdes	Dionicio O. Tapia Cramer Mar. 2, 1989 - Oct 20, 2006 David Tapia Cancio Jan. 5, 1981 - Oct 21, 2006


Indian Route 5, 6.6 mi S of Hwy 86. Last visited: December 2013.	Indian Route 1, 8.9 mi S of Hwy 86. Last visited: December 2013.	Indian Route 1, 6.7 mi S of Hwy 86. Last visited: December 2013.


Indian Route 34, 7.6 mi N of Hwy 86. Last visited: December 2013.	Indian Route 34, 10.7 mi N of Hwy 86. Last visited: December 2013.	Indian Route 34, 9.1 mi SW of Indian Route 23. Last visited: December 2013.


Indian Route 34, 7.9 mi SW of Indian Route 23. Last visited: December 2013.	Indian Route 34, 0.3 mi SE of Indian Route 23. Last visited: December 2013.	Indian Route 34, 7.5 mi W of Indian Route 15. Last visited: December 2013.