Tinajo residents José Acuña Morales and María Josefa Pérez Peña were the stars of a tribute in their municipality this weekend. Both have turned 100 years old and, on the occasion of the San Roque festivities, the Tinajo City Council decided to present these long-lived residents with a tribute last Friday.
The event, organized by the Department of Health and Senior Citizens, directed by Elisabeth Morales, was held in the municipal theater at 8:00 p.m. During the event, a video was shown in which the honorees narrated some of their anecdotes and also related how they managed in difficult times to face the harsh panorama that they were experiencing.
The endearing event featured a musical performance by Trío Contrastes and soloist Fabiola Ramón, who presented the honorees with a beautiful repertoire. The mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, was also present and took the stage to congratulate the honorees, along with some of the new councilors of the corporation. They were also given gifts as a reminder of such an important day. The evening came to an end with the family photo, in which José Acuña and María Josefa Pérez were very supported by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Two lives in a century
José Acuña Morales was born in Tinajo on September 25, 1914. With hardly any studies, since he did not know the school classroom, he dedicated himself to attending to the tasks of the field and the animals. When time permitted, his mother taught him what little she had learned and he fed on everything she explained to him. After a few years, José was in charge of sharing that knowledge with the boys of the town, working as a teacher.
Morales also served as mayor and councilor of the Tinajo City Council, without charging a penny from the municipal coffers. He also worked as a prosecutor, although his great vocation and what he always stood out for was as a land surveyor, a profession to which he dedicated himself until after his retirement. José Acuña is a joking man with a very good sense of humor. Married to Catalina, his only girlfriend and with whom they have already celebrated 66 years of marriage, he is a lover of reading, and likes to listen to the radio and watch television to be informed of everything that happens in the world.
For her part, María Josefa Pérez Peña was born in La Vegueta on April 25, 1915. This fighting woman married and gave birth to 7 children, of whom only 5 remain today. Life was not easy for María Josefa, who in order to get ahead had to leave her town of La Vegueta to settle in a farmhouse located in the area known as Las Laderas. Years later she moved to the town of Haría. By fighting and fighting, she and her husband managed to get their children ahead. María Josefa now resides in the town where she was born, where she wants to continue living until the end of her days.