A mural has emerged in Costilla, causing tourists and locals alike to stop and admire the new beautiful piece of art.

Costilla homeowner John Offersen says the wall is truly an act of happenstance. Offersen recalls first meeting 53-year-old “vagabond” Dimitri Kadiev, who has been walking from location to location for over 30 years.

“I first laid eyes on him on the road north of Questa. By the 70-lb pack he was carrying, I knew he wasn’t an ordinary pilgrim. I next saw him in Costilla, walking across SR 196 to ask for water and food. I offered him both and we got to talking at my dining table. He thanked me for the sustenance and said that God always provides. He then noticed the crosses painted on my doors and told me that he paints murals. I felt that God had sent him to me! I’ve always thought about painting a mural on the wall facing the highway,” Offersen says.

Through October, Kadiev and his girlfriend known as “Scripture,” a tattoo artist at Sacred Tattoo in Taos whose name is Mariel, painted the Virgin in the center. Mariel also painted the fox and mountain lion portions of the mural. Kadiev painted the rest over approximately 2-1/2 weeks. Offersen says names of the pobladores (original settlers) are painted throughout the mural.

When the mural was finished, Kadiev continued journeying west to spend the winter in Los Angeles.