There are many versions to this story.
Some say it is because of the red color of the mountains at sunrise and sunset, which we have shown you on prior blogs. It's not always that you see it; but if you look at the sunset near Blanca every day, there it was for a few days this late August and early September that we saw it.
Some say it is because the Penitentes who live here. Around Easter time they would flagellate (whip) them selves as repentance for their sins, suffering just like Christ on his march to the cross. They say this is still practiced in secretive groups to the south of us here.
But there are 2 other more romantic reasons for their name.
One story goes that an exploratory group of military Spaniards came up into the San Luis Valley. They brought with them their native "slaves" who revolted once they got to San Luis. In the process the priest Tomas was injured. While the rest of the Spaniards made it back to civilization, Father Tomas took ill form his would. As he laid dying, he looked up and saw the crimson red color off Mt Blanca and he exclaimed, "The Blood of Christ".
Was this in the 1800's as one site claims on the Internet? Or was it closer to the 1680's when the Pueblo Indians first revolted agains the Spaniards? Take your choice.
Another story I read in a book about 20 years ago, I cannot find on the Internet now.
The story is that a group of six (I think was how the story went) priests had come up here in the 1600-1700's and where surprisingly successful in convincing the natives to convert to Catholicism. Well, one day, for some unknown reason, a group of natives snuck up on the priests' camp as they slept, and murdered them, shedding "The Blood of Christ".
Take your choice as to the true story.
But we think you'll have to agree that the sunsets here can be quite red.
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