ABIQUIÚ — A quiet breeze rattles the nearby trees as 50 people walk down a hill and pass a dry acequia.

Boom. A revolver's gunshot startles the pilgrims. The blast is meant to scare the evil spirits and announce the annual Encuentro, the reunification of Mary at the feet of Jesus, her crucified son.

While thousands flock to the Santuario de Chimayó, some 100 Abiquiú residents, friends and neighbors meet to re-enact — with Mary and Jesus statues carried by local participants — the death of Jesus Christ with solemnity and prayer.

The Encuentro is a central part of the Good Friday observance for The Hermanos Penitentes, or the Penitente Brotherhood of Abiquiú.

It's a heart-wrenching conversation narrated by Hermano Alberto Parra in Spanish. In the conversation, Jesus asks his mother to leave so that she can avoid watching him die. Mary responds that her motherly love can tolerate the sight and that her soul will be crucified and buried with him.

Half of the crowd walked from a morada to the Encuentro in front of Santo Tomás church. A drum, a cog rattle and more gunshots announced their arrival.

The tradition dates back to at least the 1790s, said Hermano Charlie Carrillo, the Hermandad's historian. The enactment in Abiquiú is linked to Durango, Mexico. For many decades during the Spanish rule, the Archdiocese of Durango also oversaw what is now New Mexico. Historical documents in Durango provide details of the ritual, which has been passed on for generations.

The order of the procession, hymns, language and many other parts of the ceremony in Abiquiú still are followed by Hermanos Penitentes in Durango.

"We have made visits to the Hermanos in Durango," Carrillo said.

Hermano Mayor Dexter Trujillo said he is a fourth-generation penitente.

"The purpose of (Holy Week) is to portray, to partake and to imitate the passion of Jesus Christ," Trujillo said.

The brotherhood has 14 active members, and two are bajo la venda — in a two-year learning process.

"We're not allowed to recruit, so the hermanos have to come and knock at the Morada. It's a lifetime commitment," Trujillo said.

Preparations for Holy Week, such as cleaning the moradas and cooking, are performed by community members called ayudantas, who are primarily women.

"They are the backbone of the Hermandad," Trujillo said.

Most of the solemn ceremony is conducted in Spanish, Trujillo said, because it's "the language of our ancestors."

For Adelina Encinias, the two-hour commute from Turquillo, a small town in the Mora area, is worth it. Her father, the late Marcelino Herrera, once served as an Hermano Mayor. Her oldest son, Dominico Encinias, also is a brother.

Daniel Solis, his wife, Natalie Solis, and the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Michaela Solis, drove from their Albuquerque home to take part in the ceremony for the first time. They said they plan to make it a family tradition.

The Barboa family, also from Albuquerque, has participated in the event before. They plan to start bringing their toddler son, Isaiah Barboa, and his future baby brother, on an annual basis.

Frankie Lopez and his wife, Carmen Lopez, are Abiquiú natives. Their parents and grandparents all were involved in the ceremony. The family members took off from work on Good Friday, Frankie Lopez said.

This is the first year Carmen Lopez has been asked to carry the statue of Jesus, which was cloaked in purple. The conversation between Jesus and his mother hit close to home, she said.

"That was hard; that was really hard for me. I tried not to cry," Lopez said. "I have a son who passed away, and being involved in the church gives me peace."

She is working on getting her children and grandchildren involved in order "to keep the tradition going."

Contact Sandra Baltazar Martínez at 986-3062 or smartinez@sfnewmexican.com.