In the heart of southern Gran Canaria, where the sun paints its glimmers on the dunes of Maspalomas and the ravines hold stories with more than half a century associated with tourism, a tradition emerges that transformed Christmas into an epic event: the Living Nativity Scenes.
It all began thanks to a woman who, from the humbleness of Cercado de Espino, managed to illuminate the life of an entire community with her teaching vocation: Gregoria González Valerón, known as Goyita.
Goyita was born into a humble family, the only one of five siblings who was able to access education. At just fourteen years old, she left for Telde to study at the Colegio de San Gregorio, under the guidance of teachers such as Lucía Jiménez and Hilda Marrero.
Her destiny, however, would not be solely in teaching, but also in the social and cultural fabric of Gran Canaria. But her true Christmas epic began in 1962, when the young teacher became involved with the young people of Maspalomas to bring to life the first religious plays that would later be called Living Nativity Scenes. At that time, Maspalomas in the sixties had neither stages nor resources; there was only imagination, enthusiasm, and a firm desire to teach and celebrate.
Goyita and the parish priest Manuel Montesdeoca created a space where more than a hundred young people and neighbors portrayed Mary, Joseph, astrologers, angels, and, of course, the Three Wise Men. Even Lucifer and the innkeepers came to life among tomato crates that served as mounds and aisles for the improvised stage.
Each rehearsal was a ritual that transformed the Church of San Fernando into a youth club, and each performance a spectacle that brought together the entire community.
The Three Wise Men were not just characters: they were guardians of Christmas magic, they presided over Midnight Mass and offered a kiss to the Baby Jesus, amid cheers from locals and tourists who admired the initiative.
Over the years, the costumes became more elaborate, and the funds for materials were raised with ingenuity, even asking for collaboration from the Count of Vega Grande.
The greatness of these Living Nativity Scenes lay not only in their size or number of actors, but in the unity they fostered between neighboring towns. In 1970, Maspalomas and El Tablero together performed the "Divine Event," alternating roles and breaking down the supposed rivalry between communities—a lesson in cooperation and community spirit that remains a benchmark today.
Over time, new generations of Living Nativity Scenes emerged, under the impetus of Sito Rivero and Adán Verde Ojeda, who added scenographic complexity, NGO participation and a community and solidarity character.
Every year, the Three Wise Men of southern Gran Canaria reminded everyone that the true richness of Christmas was not in the gifts, but in the joint effort, in the creativity of young people and in the passion of those who, like Goyita González, taught that culture and tradition could transform lives.
Today, as the south looks towards its dunes and churches, each performance is an echo of those early rehearsals in the 60s, a tribute to the teachers, the neighbors, and above all, to the Three Kings who remain a symbol of a community united by history, faith, and imagination.
