The year 2024 closed its doors, taking with it three irreplaceable figures from the south of Gran Canaria: Rafael González, Feluco, historian and writer of unparalleled talent; Juan Franco López, the photographer who immortalized the first steps of tourism in Maspalomas; and Andrés Barriales Ardura, journalist and teacher committed to peace and multicultural coexistence. Their departure leaves a deep void in the heart of a community that knew how to recognize in them three fundamental pillars of its history and culture.
Rafael Gonzalez, Feluco, said goodbye to us abruptly last summer. His death, a heart attack while shopping, left those who just hours before had heard him speak passionately about Canarian culture in the studios of Radio Dunas in a state of shock. A friend of word and thought, Feluco established himself as a patriot of the south of Gran Canaria, while leaving his mark on the Spanish Transition from the perspective of the southeast of the island. His work, recognized for its exhaustive analysis of the history of Tirajana from the Conquest to the modern era, constitutes an incomparable legacy. He was editorial coordinator of historical content in Maspalomas24H and an authentic chronicler of the Tirajana civilization, whose cultural, religious and economic structures he dissected with the thoroughness of a universal historian. SEE ALL ARTICLES HERE
For its part, Juan Franco Lopez He will be remembered as the privileged eye that captured the dawn of tourism in Maspalomas. With his camera, he immortalised the first workers in the tourism sector and documented, from unique perspectives such as the top of the Maspalomas Lighthouse, the birth of the great hotels that would mark the economic development of the area. Founder of the commercial firm Foto Franco, his photographic archive is an invaluable testimony of a time of transformation for the south of Gran Canaria. His brother, Pedro Franco, another cultural bastion of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, highlighted the importance of his visual legacy, which today forms part of the collective memory of Maspalomas.
Finally, Andres Barriales Ardura He left an indelible mark as a journalist and teacher. With a background in Theology and Journalism, he worked for 35 years at the COPE radio station, where his commitment to the truth and his dedication to the profession earned him the Ondas Prize in 1977. His work was not limited to journalism: as a professor at the Official School of Tourism in Madrid, he transmitted not only knowledge, but values that inspired several generations of students. In Maspalomas, his example of multicultural coexistence and his tireless search for peace became an ethical compass for those who had the privilege of knowing him. In 2024, Maspalomas bids farewell to three unrepeatable figures, whose legacy will continue to illuminate the path of those who build the present and future of the south of Gran Canaria. May their memory remain alive in the heart of our land.
