The birth of Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar constituted one of the most unique family episodes recorded by the Lanzarote press in the sixties. The three brothers, baptized with the traditional names of the Three Wise Men, were part of a family of 13 children in which several twin births had already occurred. The weekly newspaper Antena published an extensive chronicle on November 5, 1965, identifying their parents and describing the details of the delivery, the religious celebration, and the displays of solidarity the home received after the arrival of the little ones.
Their parents were José Umpiérrez García, 43 years old, a sailor on the felucca "Los Charcos," and Juana Santana Martín, 38. The three boys were born at Dr. González Medina's clinic in Arrecife, where both the mother and the newborns were, according to journalistic information, in perfect health. The report, titled "Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar, Arrecife's First Triplets," provided unusual details about the delivery and the situation of a family whose story caught the attention of Arrecife society.
A Triple Birth with a Total Weight of 6,700 grams
The chronicle precisely described the birth. Two of the boys entered the world at eight in the morning, each weighing 2,300 grams. The third was born approximately one hour later and weighed 2,100 grams. Together, the three reached 6,700 grams.
The newspaper indicated that the delivery had proceeded normally and that none of the little ones needed to be admitted to an incubator. This was confirmed by Mr. Marcelino de Paíz, State pediatrician and owner-director of the clinic, who expressed his confidence in the brothers' favorable development. The choice of the names Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar added a distinctive feature to that birth, which soon aroused the curiosity of Arrecife's residents.
Thirteen Children and Several Twin Births
José Umpiérrez García and Juana Santana Martín's family then had 13 children, including several twin births, to which the triple birth was now added. Antena's information specified that two of the children had died and that the remaining eleven were alive at that time. It also indicated that the eldest, aged 19, was admitted to the San Juan de Dios Clinic in Tenerife due to infantile paralysis.
The arrival of the three brothers thus expanded a large family whose trajectory was marked by the succession of multiple births and family circumstances that the report captured with special attention.
The Government delegate sponsored one of the triplets
The baptism was held on Sunday and was attended by several people linked to the institutional, health, and religious life of the island. The Government delegate offered to sponsor one of the children, while the other two had as godparents the nursing assistant Mr. Luis Fernández Fuentes and a relative of the little ones.
The ceremony took place in the church and was officiated by the Reverend Mr. Ramón Falcón. At the end, a modest refreshment was offered, with which the celebration concluded. The offer by the government representative to act as godfather was one of the details highlighted by the newspaper, which also paid attention to the contributions received by the family.
Fifteen hundred pesetas and gifts for the three brothers
The birth was accompanied by various displays of generosity. Under the heading "The first gifts," the weekly detailed the financial and material contributions intended for the newborns. The Government delegate gave 1,000 pesetas and Mr. Marcelino de Paíz contributed another 500, while the Reverend Mr. Ramón Falcón gifted the children a package of clothes. Other people also collaborated with diapers, blankets, and clothing to meet the needs of the little ones.
The publication also expressed its wish that during the next Christmas holidays the Three Wise Men of Arrecife would bring new gifts to the home, taking into account the needs of a family with thirteen children. These contributions reflected the attention and solidarity that the birth had generated in various sectors of Lanzarote society.
The father returned to work at sea on the day of the baptism
One of the most revealing details of the chronicle appears under the heading "The father, to work." Antena reported that, on the same Sunday afternoon when the baptism was held, José Umpiérrez García returned to sea aboard the vessel on which he worked. His plan was to return to Arrecife on Wednesday morning.
The scene offers a significant image of the working conditions and daily life of the time. While the family had just celebrated the baptism of the three little ones, the father resumed his activity as a sailor, forced to continue with his work responsibilities. The news concluded with congratulations to the siblings, their parents, and godparents, accompanied by a wish for health and long life for the newborns.
The precedent of the San Bartolomé triplets in 1912
The same publication recalled another triple birth that occurred in Lanzarote, this time in San Bartolomé, in 1912. They were two boys and one girl, children of Juan Corujo, a native of San Bartolomé, and Isabel García Torres, a native of Fuerteventura and then a resident of Tenerife.
According to the journalistic information, the three little ones were born with little vitality. Two died five days after birth and the third died when he was three weeks old. The weekly newspaper recorded the episode under the title "The San Bartolomé triplets died" and presented it as a precedent for the birth of Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar. The chronicle itself thus differentiated between the first triplets in Arrecife and another triple birth registered decades earlier in the municipality of San Bartolomé.
Both events were linked in the pages of the Lanzarote press, although with very different outcomes: the survival of the three siblings from Arrecife and the early death of the little ones born in San Bartolomé.
A chronicle that recovers the family memory of Arrecife
The information published by Antena constitutes a valuable testimony of family and social life in Arrecife during the sixties. Its pages allow us to recover the identity of José Umpiérrez García and Juana Santana Martín, learn about the father's profession and the circumstances of the birth, as well as the weights of the three children, the celebration of the baptism, and the people who participated as godparents.
The report also preserves the memory of the solidarity shown to the family, from the financial contributions of the Government delegate and the doctor Marcelino de Paíz to gifts of clothing, diapers, and blankets. Through these details, the story of Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar allows us to approach different aspects of the daily life of the capital of Lanzarote: large families, work related to the sea, healthcare at the time, and the participation of different people in events that transcended the private sphere.
More than six decades later, the recovery of that chronicle allows us to return the names of the three brothers and their parents to the collective memory, protagonists of a birth that left its mark on the journalistic history of Arrecife.
DOCUMENTARY SOURCES
• Antena. November 5, 1965. Number 634. "Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar, the first triplets in Arrecife," main report and continuation.
• University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Jable, Digital Press Archive of the Canary Islands. Collection of the weekly Antena.
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.