Roadside Shrine

While coming toward or (regrettably) departing Baja California, you’re guaranteed to pass all varieties of roadside shrines. Though most exhibit a blend of religious tradition and Mexican folk art, some have been erected in remote areas of the desert, while others sit perched on coastal cliffs. Some are large and showy, with blinking neon lights and exuberant bursts of fake flowers; others are far more modest, bearing unadorned crosses or simply a decorated box filled with precious personal keepsakes.

This Catholic shrine, overlooking the beach of Playa el Burro and the Sea of Cortez, is known as a capilla, or “small chapel”—a common sight along the roads and highways here.

One or two people could fit inside these chapels, to potentially light a candle while paying respects to a statue or memory. Prayer candles, photos, personal items, and notes may be found within. But the shrines are often less formal and can be simple ofrendas, lovingly maintained. Though naturally a symbol of selfless devotion, they are also works of art, regularly visited by strangers.

Taken individually or as a line of colorful altars, these trademark tributes of Baja California lift your spirit, even with the assumption that most have been created as expressions of grief. Each one feels private and personal, yet they have been traditionally presented in as public a place as one could imagine. In that sense, visiting the shrines, even if merely driving by or only reading about their existence, encourages us all to share in a communal celebration of life.

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