The rich history of New Mexico's state capital included ancient adobe architecture, a pre-American church and an unexplainable relic Chiaverini had to see to believe.
His first stop took him to San Miguel Chapel, what many consider to be the oldest church building in the continental US. Built in 1610, it holds the San Jose Bell, purported to be made in Spain in 1356.
Across from San Miguel Chapel sits New Mexico's "oldest house." The De Vargas Street House claims roots as early as 1200, making it the oldest residential building in the US. It now operates as a museum.
At the Loretto Chapel, Chiaverini learned the legend of "the miraculous staircase" from curator Richard Lindsley. In the 1870s, the Sisters of Loretto commissioned the construction of a spiral staircase to reach the church's choir loft.
"An old man came riding in off the desert and offered to build the staircase and they hired him off a handshake," Lindsley said. "He worked inside the chapel for three months and then vanished without being paid."
Lindsley said physicists and experts in construction are baffled by the staircase to this day, which is built without nails and with wood that would have been unique to the area and time period.
"Scientifically why does it stand? Nobody knows. Where does the wood come from? Scientifically, nobody knows," Lindsley said. "And that's why we as a museum still feel confident calling this 'the miraculous staircase.'"
Chiaverini and his crew continued on in their 2026 Hyundai Palisade toward Albuquerque, their pier to pier journey not yet finished yet in "the land of enchantment."
Pier To Pier: Celebrating 100 Years of Route 66 is sponsored by Hyundai.