Luminarias and Farolitos: Holiday Traditions in New Mexico
Every December, plazas, churches, homes, and businesses across New Mexico glow with rows of lanterns known as luminarias or farolitos, depending on where you are in the state. New Mexico luminarias mark the winter holidays with a soft candlelight that appears along streets, courtyards, rooftops, and adobe walls. Their warm glow has marked Christmas celebrations in New Mexico for centuries.
What Are Luminarias?
The word luminaria comes from the Spanish word for “illumination.” Historically, a luminaria referred to a small bonfire lit during Las Posadas, a nine-day Christmas tradition commemorating Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter. On Christmas Eve, these fires helped light the way for the Holy Family.
Long before paper lanterns became common, small stacks of piñon wood were placed along roads, outside homes, and near churches. Flat-bottomed paper bags became widely available in the late 19th century. New Mexicans adapted the older bonfire tradition by filling the bags with sand and placing a candle inside.
What Are Farolitos?
The paper lanterns are known as farolitos in northern New Mexico. The name comes from farol, the Spanish word for “lantern.” In this part of the state, luminaria still refers to the original bonfires, and many residents consider the distinction an important part of local usage.
South of Santa Fe, paper lanterns are more commonly called luminarias. Both names are used today, and the terminology can shift by region, family, community, and culture.
Where to See Luminarias and Farolitos
Santa Fe’s Christmas Eve Canyon Road Farolito Walk is one of New Mexico’s best-known holiday traditions. Residents and visitors walk Canyon Road beneath thousands of farolitos that illuminate galleries, adobe homes, and garden walls.
In Albuquerque, Old Town and surrounding historic neighborhoods glow with rows of paper lanterns on Christmas Eve. Walkways, adobe walls, rooftops, and plazas are illuminated by thousands of lights, creating one of the state’s most recognizable holiday displays.
Noche de las Luminarias at Fort Selden Historic Site fills the adobe ruins and walking paths with candlelit luminarias during the holiday season. The event gives visitors a chance to experience the tradition in southern New Mexico.
A bit farther south, just 5 minutes outside of Las Cruces, the village of Mesilla celebrates an annual luminarias-lighting tradition every Christmas Eve. The central plaza of Old Mesilla maintains its century-plus-old historic charm as locals and visitors gather in the holiday’s lantern light.
Explore more holiday events across New Mexico as you plan a winter visit.