Rita's story is a special one. According to what she told us, she was the last one to be born in the village, with the help of tía Lucía, the midwife who assisted in all the births that took place in the village. That was in 1970.
Today she is one of the few neighbours who live in the village all year round, 15 or 17 depending on how you ask. She is an institution in the village, much loved by everyone. She kept us company during our stay. She asked us all sorts of questions about the archive project and about life in the camper van, and we asked her about the village, the fiestas, etc.
Rita has her hens, her vegetable garden and previously ran the family bar in the village square. Many people from the surrounding countryside know her, so many years at the bar made it possible. Now the old village schools are used as a bar and are owned by the town council. Undoubtedly, bars are the last social strongholds of the villages. When the last bar in a village closes, it is a clear symptom of the bad population situation in the community.
We are very grateful to her and her siblings for encouraging her mother to come and have her portrait taken, because Jesica, born in 1930, does not usually leave the house. Everyone in Fuentestrún was very appreciative.
