Maria Josefa Garcia Martin, Madrid, Spain, Tombstone Tuesday

 Today's "tombstone" was photographed at the Cementerio Sur in Madrid, Spain.

MARIA JOSEFA

GARCIA MARTIN

*8-7-1934

+11-10-2023

TU HIJO NIETA

Y FAMILIA

NO TE OLVIDAN

D.E.P

(English translation)

MARIA JOSEFA 

GARCIA MARTIN

BORN 8 JULY 1934

DIED 11 OCTOBER 2023

YOUR SON, GRANDDAUGHTER

AND FAMILY

WILL NOT FORGET YOU

R.I.P.

[REST IN PEACE]

Maria Josefa Garcia Martin is my mother-in-law, who died a few months ago in Madrid, Spain. Everything about her final days was a strange experience to me.  Her home care, her hospital care, her funeral arrangements, her final resting place, and the legal bureaucracy of settling her estate in a foreign country were overwhelming not just emotionally, but also physically exhausting.  We finally were able to see her "tombstone" when we visited Madrid for her funeral mass.

In Spain, and in many European countries, the deceased is laid out for visitation (velatorio) at a tanatorio within a few hours of death, and buried the next morning. The remains are not embalmed.  There is no delay, and the funeral mass (for Catholics) is held a month later in the church. The tanatorio funeral director arranges for all the legal paperwork and for the burial place. 

There are several very large public cemeteries in Madrid, and the public tanatorios are enormous, handling dozens of funerals at the same time. It is an amazingly quick and streamlined process.  Cremations are not common, but are available. Usually just close friends and family attend the velatorio, and attendance at the mass held later is much higher.  For Maria, friends and family from all over Spain came to Madrid for her funeral mass in December at the neighborhood Catholic church.  

Cemeteries are completely different in Spain from cemeteries in New England, especially in the urban areas.  Most people in Spain have insurance which pays for the funeral and final expenses including a gravesite or niche in a columbarium.  Niches are by far the most popular, since family gravesites are rare and expensive.  Niches are rented in five or ten year increments, or even rented for 100 years.  At the end of the rental agreement you may extend the rental or the body is exhumed, the niche is cleaned out and rented again. Since the body was not embalmed, there may only be bones. These remains are reburied in a common burial ground or ossuary. 

If an American dies abroad, the US Embassy can provide a CRODA certificate, which serves as a death certificate along with the Spanish death certificate. A CRODA certificate will help with settling the estate and legal matters back in the United States, such as social security or life insurance, and it is neccessary if the remains are being taken back to the US (including cremains).  CRODA is a Consular Report of a Death Abroad.  The embassy staff in Madrid was very helpful to us both when Vincent's mom died, and also years ago when his father died and we had to bring his ashes back to the United States. 

You can see that the columbarium at the Cemeterio Sur had walls four niches high.  Rolling ladders were available for placing flowers.  Vincent bought some poinsettias and left them at his mother's niche.  

A little bit of genealogy: 

Maria Josefa Garcia, born 8 July 1934 in Orbaiceta, Navarra, Spain and died 11 October 2023 in Madrid, Spain.  She married Vicente Rojo, son of Moises Rojo and Anacleta Benito, on 9 January 1960 in Madrid.  

Generation 1:  Jose Garcia, born 28 November 1908 in Bouza, Salamanca, Spain and died 3 December 1994 in Madrid, Spain, married on 8 September 1933 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain to Maria Consuelo Martin, born 11 November 1908 in Villar de Ciervo, and died 29 April 2001 in Madrid.  

Generation 2:  Sebastian Garcia, born 6 May 1878 in Fraga, Huesca, Spain, and died 22 June 1962 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married on 9 April 1902 to Maria Ribero, born 4 June 1873 and died 21 January 1944.

Manuel Martin, born about 1880 in Barcelona, Spain and died 10 September 1971 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, married 23 January 1904 in Villar de Ciervo to Josefa Rivero, born 23 October 1884 in Villar de Ciervo, and died 17 November 1937 in Villar de Ciervo. 

Generation 3: Celestino Garcia, born 25 May 1851 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain, and died 11 February 1914, married on 1 December 1877 in Barba de Puerco to Joaquina Munoz, born 30 September 1858 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, and died 2 December 1893 in San Vicente, Badajoz, Spain.

Vanancio Ribero married Rosalia Montero on 11 June 1856 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain.

Mateo Martin,  born in Vitigudino, Salamanca, Spain married Manuel Ventura.

Manuel Rivero, born 24 December 1850 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, married Ofofila Gonzalez, born 17 January 1849 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain

Generation 4: Juan Antonio Garcia, born 8 March 1825 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married Ramona Espinazo, born 15 June 1820 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca Spain.

Bernardino Munoz married Ynes Zato, born 23 April 1834 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain. 

Ambrosio Ribero married in 1813 to Ynes Martin

Antonio Montero, born 21 November 1809 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain, and died 31 December 1845 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married to Catalina Espinazo, born 25 November 1806 in Barba de Puerco. 

For the truly curious:

Consular Report of a Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad:   https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/while-abroad/death-abroad1/consular-report-of-death-of-a-u-s--citizen-abroad.html   

Cementerio Sur Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain   https://sfmadrid.es/cementerio/cementerio-sur-carabanchel  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Maria Josefa Garcia Martin, Madrid, Spain, Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 23, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/01/maria-josefa-garcia-martin-madrid-spain.html: accessed [access code]). 

Almudena Cathedral, Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday

 Today's weathervane was spotted above the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain.  There are three identical weathervanes on the two spires and the main dome above this cathedral.  

The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena is opposite the Royal Palace.  It is not as ancient as many other cathedrals in Spain.  Construction was started in 1883 and it took 100 years to complete. It was dedicated in 1993 by Pope John Paul II.  The royal crypt inside contains many members of King Felipe VI's family and the nobility.  The king was married in this cathedral, too.  

We were visiting the Royal Collections Gallery museum when we spotted these weathervanes.  This museum is brand new, and it just opened this year. There was a fantastic special exhibit of royal transportation vehicles, including many royal coaches and several early automobiles.  There is also a museum inside the cathedral. 

The weathervanes above the cathedral are very simple.  The large vane is a simple banner with the initial MA for Maria Almudena.  There is an elaborate scroll work cross above the vane, and a gilded ball below. 

For the truly curious:

Wikipedia Almudena Cathedral- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almudena_Cathedral   

Other Madrid weathervanes featured at this blog:

Madrid Air Museum -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/madrid-spain-air-museum-for-weathervane.html  

Our Lady of the Angels, Madrid -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-church-in-madrid-for-weathervane.html   

Gas Station, Madrid -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-gas-station-in-madrid-spain-for.html  

San Antonio, Madrid-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/weathervane-wednesday-family-church-in.html  

San Jeronimo, Madrid-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/03/weathervane-wednesday-7-headed-dragon.html  

Click here to see over 500 more Weathervane Wednesday posts!   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Almudena Cathedral, Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 3, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/01/almudena-cathedral-madrid-spain-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Several Generations of Linens and Lace from Spain

 

Cleaning out a home after a death is a sad and nostalgic task.  When my mother-in-law recently passed away in Spain, we had to sort out everything in her apartment. We had to give away or throw away many item.  My husband brought home only a few items from her apartment.  He was not able to bring much because he could only bring what fit in his suitcases (and he paid for two extra suitcases). Some of those items were fragile (crystal glasses) and some were heavy (books) that needed padding so they wouldn't shift or break, so he wrapped them in the heirloom linens we found in the closet. Several generations of my mother-in-law's family owned this apartment. 

It turns out that these linens were quite beautiful, but a bit dingy from being stored a long time. Some looked brand new as if they were never used. I think the dry climate in Spain helped preserve them from mold or mildew spots.  I researched a bit on how to restore these handmade, delicate items.  We decided that we were probably going to use some of them, but my daughter and I didn't want all of them. Here is what I did to clean and store them:

The advice was to not use anything harsh like bleach or detergent.  I soaked them for several days in a bathtub filled with warm water and Oxy-clean.  This brightened up the linens and was not caustic.  Most of them were not stained, fortunately, just dingy from storage. The water turned yellow from the years of dust, so I changed the water daily that the linens were soaking in.   

To rinse them I used the hand held shower wand in the bathroom with warm water, and then put them through the short rinse only cycle in the washing machine.  This step would be skipped if the items were especially fragile, but most of what we had was in excellent shape and quite sturdy, even though we figured some of them were over 100 years old. 

Some of the items like tablecloths and bedding I ironed on medium heat while they were still damp.  They came out beautiful. This step could be skipped for very delicate items, or lacy doilies. 

An embroidered hanky!

Lace and crocheted items were air dried, some flat, and some on a drying rack

A very delicate hanky!  It was so fine you could see through it! 

An embroidered bedsheet

I spent several days washing, sorting, rinsing, drying and ironing dozens of pillow cases, napkins, bedding, and tablecloths.  I decided to keep only a few.  I really don't want these items to just end up stored in a closet for another 100 years.  I'm keeping just what I will use - a few hankies, some beautiful napkins, and some smaller items.  The rest I will share with my daughter, and then we will give away or sell the rest. I know that linens are not valuable or costly, but it seems a shame to just toss them or continue storing them.  

Here is the mystery. Some of the items are embroidered with "C M", which was my husband's grandmother's monogram - Maria Consuelo Martin (1908 - 2001) she was married in 1933 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, so she probably made a lot of these before her marriage. Her mother was Josefa Rivero (1884 - 1937), married in 1904 also in Villar de Ciervo, and some of these items came from her marriage.  There are also sheets and pillowcases with a mystery monogram (see below).  Maybe this is not a monogram?  Is it just an abstract design? Perhaps it is a design for the letter "G", which was Consuelo's husband (Jose Garcia (1908-1954))?  It could be an "S" for Jose's father Sebastian Garcia (1878-1962)? 

Temporary storage for the clean linens.

For long term storage I would recommend acid free materials. 

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Several Generations of Linens and Lace from Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 24, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/10/several-generations-of-linens-and-lace.html: accessed [access date]). 

Maria Josefa Garcia Martin 1934 - 2023

This morning my mother-in-law, Pepita or María Josefa García Martin, passed away peacefully in Madrid, Spain.  Vincent and our daughter, Catalina, were with her.  Pepita was born in 1934 in Orbaiceta, Navarra, Spain and grew up in several places around Spain because her father, José García Rivero, served in the military as a carbinero and as a Guardia Civil during and after the Civil War.  

In 1960 she married Vicente Rojo, immigrated to New York City, and had Vincent all in one year!  Vicente worked at the United Nations, and Pepita worked for several publishers and then for Iberia Airlines in Manhattan.  Later they all removed to Puerto Rico, and Pepita continued to work for Iberia until 1994 when she retired and enjoyed living both in San Juan and Madrid.  

After Vicente passed away in  2014 Pepita lived with us in New Hampshire and in Madrid, until the Covid pandemic struck and she stayed in Spain.  We visited her often in Madrid, especially this last year during her final illness. She will be missed by Vincent and I, Catalina and Gerald, her great granddaughter Isabella, and many other family members, friends, and neighbors.  

María Josefa García Martin as a toddler

Wedding Day in Madrid

9 January 1960

Pepita working at publisher Morgan and Morgan in New York

María Josefa García Martin in her Iberia Airlines uniform

Pepita, Vicente and Vincent at his birthday

1960s Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan

Pepita is in the mantilla, holding Vincent's hand

A selfie with Pepita, April 2023

The family at the Plaza Mayor in Madrid

April 2023

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Maria Josefa Garcia Martin 1934 - 2023", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 11 October 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/10/maria-josefa-garcia-martin-1934-2023.html: accessed [access date]).

A Church in Madrid for Weathervane Wednesday

This church was photographed at 93 Calle de Bravo Murillo in Madrid, Spain.

 

This is the weathervane above the bell tower of the Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles (Our Lady of the Angels) in Madrid, Spain.  It is a short walk from Cuatro Caminos.  This church was built in 1892, and the interior has 8 chapels.  The weathervane is a banner style, very traditional, with a fancy scrolled finial shaped like a Christian cross. It looks like there is a grounding wire running from the top of the finial down to the church, making this also a lightning rod.  (Can anyone confirm this?)

For the truly curious:

Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles: La historia parroquia de Cuatro Caminos, from the ABC Madrid newspaper website, published 19 March 2022:  https://www.abc.es/espana/madrid/abci-nuestra-senora-angeles-historica-parroquia-cuatro-caminos-202203190005_noticia.html  

Click here to see over 500 more weathervanes featured at "Weathervane Wednesday":  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Church in Madrid for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 9, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-church-in-madrid-for-weathervane.html: accessed [access date]).  

A Gas Station in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday

 This gas station is located at 229 Calle de Bravo Murillo, Madrid, Spain

This little gas station is located on the corner of Calle de Lope de Haro and Calle de Bravo Murillo in Madrid, Spain. My husband spotted this while out walking in Madrid recently. The weathervane is not visible from Bravo Murillo, the main boulevard, but if you turn down Calle de Lope de Haro and then turn around and look back you will see this old weathervane.  It is a simple two dimensional silhouette of an old sedan, probably dating back decades to when there was a much smaller gas station on this corner. There are no cardinal points on this weathervanes, and no evidence that there ever were any on the post.  Now the big red canopy blocks the view of the weathervane from pedestrians. 

My mother-in-law and her family has lived in this neighborhood since the 1970s and there has always been a "gasolinera" on this corner.  

For the truly curious:

Galp    https://www.galp.com/corp/pt/  

Click here to see over 500 more weathervane photos!

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Gas Station in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 2, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-gas-station-in-madrid-spain-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday - Three for One in Guadarrama, Spain

 These three weathervanes are on the roof of the Restaurante Sala, located on Carretera de los Molinos, Guadarrama, Madrid, Spain. 

Cougar

Witch on a broomstick

Stag

The Restaurante Sala is located in the mountain town of Guadarrama, Spain.  Vincent's cousins took us for lunch to this charming restaurant, and we enjoyed it very much!  There were actually four weathervanes on the roof, but one of the two witches was damaged.  We ate outside on the terrace, and enjoyed the artwork in the garden.  If you visit in December don't miss their large nativity, which can be viewed through a window in the front of the restaurant. 

For the truly curious:

Restaurante Sala -  https://restaurantesala.com/       

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Three for One in Guadarrama, Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/weathervane-wednesday-three-for-one-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Town Hall at Miraflores de la Sierra, Madrid, Spain - Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed in Miraflores de la Sierra, Madrid, Spain.

This weathervane is located on the ayuntamiento (town hall) of the village of Miraflores de la Sierra, in the province of Madrid, Spain.  The weathervane is the painted and gilded coat of arms for the village. There are no cardinal points, but there is a lightning rod and a very fancy wrought iron globe. 

When Vincent was a boy he would spend his summers in Miraflores with his grandparents and cousins. The main square is called Plaza del Alamo, after a famous poplar tree in the middle of the square. It is in the mountains, about 50 kilometers from Madrid. 

This little village has grown today to almost six thousand inhabitants. We recently visited here and it was very nostalgic for Vincent and his cousin to remember the streets as they were when they were kids! 

Yours truly, my mother-in-law, and Vincent in front of the ayunamiento of Miraflores

For the truly curious:

Wikipedia article for Miraflores de la Sierra  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraflores_de_la_Sierra  

The Facebook page for the Ayuntamiento Miraflores de la Sierra  https://www.facebook.com/AyuntamientoMirafloresdelaSierra/   

Previous blog posts about the village of Miraflores:

2010  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/12/not-so-wordless-wednesday-miraflores-de.html  

2019  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/06/photo-friday-miraflores-de-la-sierra.html  

Click here to see over 475 other weathervanes featured at this blog:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Town Hall at Miraflores de la Sierra, Madrid, Spain - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 2, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-town-hall-at-miraflores-de-la.html: accessed [access date]). 

Queen Isabella's Castle, Segovia, Spain - Weathervane Wednesday

 

Today's weathervane was photographed above the castle known as the Alcázar in Segovia, Spain.  There were several of these arrow weathervanes above the turrets, and all were alike.  They were metal, without gilding or compass points. The weathervanes are best viewed from the plaza by the front entrance to the castle. 

The Alcázar is a famous castle built in the 11th century as a fortress and a palace for twenty two monarchs of the Almoravid dynasty.  The most famous monarch to reside here was Queen Isabella of Castile.  This is a fairytale like castle with moat, courtyard, turrets, and a large keep.  The interior is richly decorated with gilding and tapestries.  There are several museums inside, a throne room, armory, treasury, grand halls, and a chapel. The Hall of the Monarchs (Sala de los Reyes) was commissioned by King Alfonso X (1252 - 1284) with a frieze of carved rulers of Castile and Leon.  You can read more about this at a blog post I wrote in 2010 HERE.  

We took our granddaughter to visit the Alcázar last year, because her name is Isabella, too!  Not only that, but some of the monarchs carved inside the Room of the Monarchs are our ancestors, including Alfonso IV and Queen Berengula.  You can read more about these ancestors HERE. 

For the truly curious:

Alcázar de Segovia (available in English):  https://www.alcazardesegovia.com/    

Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia  

My 2010 blog post about the ancestors carved into the walls of the Alcázar of Segovia:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/09/wordless-wednesday-last-week-in-spain.html   

Click here to see over 475 other weathervanes featured at this blog:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Queen Isabella's Castle, Segovia, Spain - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 19, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/10/queen-isabellas-castle-segovia-spain.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Damaged Weathervane! Weathervane Wednesday

Mesón de Cándido weathervane 2022

The same weathervane photographed 2010

A few weeks ago we were in Segovia, Spain with our family.  Segovia is famous for many things, including a Roman Aqueduct in the middle of town, the Alcazar castle (built for Queen Isabella I), fine dining on suckling pig and lamb, and it is very high at an elevation of about 3,300 feet (over 1,025 meters) above sea level.  It is one of the highest towns in Spain, after Avila, Cuenca, Guadarrama,  and Soria. The weather can be extreme.  It was raining the day we visited, and there were heavy snows a few hours after we left (in April).  

In 2013 I featured the two weathervanes above the Mesón de Cándido tavern.  You can see that blog post HERE.   One had a piglet, and the other weathervane was a rooster.  This year we photographed the restaurant and the two weathervanes, thinking that they were different.  But, at home and seeing the images close up, we could see that they were the same weathervanes but one was damaged and missing the piglet.  

This year we ate lunch in the Mesón de Cándido and saw the famous ceremony where the roasted suckling pig is displayed with a poem, and then cut with a plate (to show how tender it was) and served after smashing the plate on the floor.  It was quite fun, and surprised my six year old grand daughter!  The restaurant is under the aqueduct built by the Romans.  We had spent the morning exploring Queen Isabella's Alcazar, and were very hungry.

Is the pig missing due to extreme weather and wind? Was it stolen? Did it run away to avoid being roasted, cut with the side of a plate, and served as dinner? 

UPDATE!  May 11, 2022 12:20 pm  -  An observant reader, Simon Loughe, noticed that the pig is still attached to the weathervane, "but it has slipped down and it's ear is now below the vane wing?"  I think he is correct.  Poor piggy is hanging on for dear life up there above the tavern! 

Mesón de Cándido

The suckling pig being cut with a plate

This is the second weathervane above
the restaurant

Mesón de Cándido

Yours Truly, in the rain, by the aqueduct and Mesón de Cándido

For the truly curious:

Mesón de Cándido website:   https://mesondecandido.es/?lang=en 

My previous blog post about these weathervanes:   

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/07/weathervane-wednesday-two-in-segovia.html   

To see over 450 other weathervanes, click this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Damaged Weathervane!  Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 11, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-damaged-weathervane-weathervane.html: accessed [access date]).