Her name is Francisca Socorro Mederos and she has just turned 104 years old, although her identity card appears two years younger, due to the usual confusion in the civil registry of the time. She is a resident of Montaña de Los Vélez, in whose senior center she received tribute from her family and friends, along with recognition from the Agüimes City Council.
And Francisca is the second oldest person in the municipality. The mayor of Agüimes himself, Óscar Hernández, gave her a bouquet of flowers and a commemorative souvenir of her 104th anniversary, gifts that presided over the birthday girl's table along with a huge meringue, sponge cake and nougat cake with which the attendees at the celebration were able to sweeten the palate.
Francisca is a native of Las Playitas, on the island of Fuerteventura. Being very young, she emigrated with her family to Gran Canaria, settling in the Southeast of the island to work in sharecropping, in the old tomato plantations of the region. Agriculture, which she complemented with work as a seamstress, helped her raise her extensive lineage: 9 children – one of them already deceased –, 28 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and 7 great-great-grandchildren, many of whom accompanied her on Valentine's Day. his birthday.
Born shortly after the First World War, at 104 years old she can boast of having overcome tyrannies, wars and crises of all kinds: the Great Depression of 1927, the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, the Franco dictatorship, the War Cold, the successive economic crises and finally the global covid-19 pandemic, which has not been able to overcome it either.
Her daughter, Reyes Ramírez, boasts of being a mother. "He enjoys very good health," she says. Her last analysis, two months ago, once again gave very good results: perfect sugar and cholesterol levels. "She only takes a pill to help her fall asleep, because of her age." The matriarch continues to be a source of pride for a large family, very united around her.