The official chronicler of the Historic City of Yaiza, Esteban Ramón Rodríguez Eugenio (1950 - 2023), passed away in the early hours of this Tuesday, January 3, after suffering a long illness, when he was about to turn 73 years old on January 9. On behalf of the Yaiza City Council and the residents of the municipality, the mayor, Óscar Noda, extends his condolences to family, friends and loved ones, recalling that “Esteban Rodríguez was a public notary devoted to his altruistic work, and he himself was already part and will continue to be part of the contemporary history of Yaiza.”
The mayor of Yaiza confirms that the wake is scheduled to begin this Tuesday in the municipal plenary hall, in the Benito Pérez Armas House of Culture, and the burial will be this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. in the Yaiza cemetery. Before that, there will be a mass in the Parish of Los Remedios de Yaiza. The flags of Yaiza are flying at half-mast as a sign of mourning and the City Council decrees two days of mourning, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Yaiza City Council appointed and presented Esteban Rodríguez Eugenio with the title of Official Chronicler of Yaiza on Tuesday, September 4, 2018, in an emotional ceremony at the Benito Pérez Armas House of Culture with the attendance of the president of the Board of Chroniclers of the Canary Islands in Lanzarote, Francisco Hernández, representatives of public institutions and residents of Yaiza and the Island of Lanzarote. Since then, Esteban Rodríguez was the depositary of the non-regulated chronicle and based by right in the local administration, the source of consultation for locals and strangers about municipal events, the guide to places of interest in Yaiza and, ultimately, the voice of the current history of Yaiza, the link between the past and the generational future, as the mayor expressed that solemn day.
Profile of Esteban Rodríguez Eugenio
He was born in the town of Yaiza and was the only male of the marriage formed by Esteban and Margarita, both natives of the municipality. His father worked as a cook on ships and his mother, between the absences of the parent and the needs of the time, raised her children in her house on El Volcán street, now called Cilla.
A man of serene talent and eager to learn, he began his formal education in what was called the National School. Later, he studied hospitality for two years at the Hospitality School of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, obtaining the qualification and certification of notable, immediately joining the Tourist Centers dependent on the Cabildo de Lanzarote.
Restless, curious and convinced of the need to improve the language, he moved to England to work in a rural hotel, combining work and learning English with studies at the prestigious Polytechnic of the town of Scarborough (North Yorkshire), where he studied for three years in the specialty of Hotel Organization. His stay in the country is prolonged by job offers in some of the large hotels in England, so he spent about twelve years performing the functions of head of the catering service.
He returned to Lanzarote for family reasons in the eighties, returning to his previous job at the Tourist Centers but this time as a supervisor, at a time when, thanks to César Manrique, they became a claim of world fame, but neither the much time dedicated to this task, nor the friendship he maintained with the Lanzarote artist, were an obstacle for him to accept the invitation to enter private banking, given his excellent level of English, for a short period of time.
Two years after providing his services in Playa Blanca, he left with a leave of absence to start the business adventure and assume responsibility for the La Choza restaurant in El Golfo, an activity that did not quite satisfy him, so he chose to open an advisory and management office for foreigners in Playa Blanca.
Esteban Ramón Rodríguez Eugenio was a fan of football, long and silent walks, he devoured every book that came his way and continued living on the street drawn on the lava, in the family home, where he wrote and compiled data for his publications. In January 2020 he presented his book 'Sembradas a voleo', a publication of stories that collects surprising anecdotes and southern experiences of the last century, a book promoted and edited by the Yaiza City Council. Esteban Rodríguez passionately and dedicatedly carried out his investigative work from a very young age. Rest in Peace.
