About to turn 87 years old, Vicenta Bravo Marrero (1939), a salt worker and cook from the town of Femés, continues to be a benchmark woman in the municipality of Yaiza and Lanzarote, and no longer just for her lifelong responsibility and dedication to her family and the care of her descendants, but for being an unwavering example of perseverance, motivation, and work.
Vicenta overcame hardships typical of times of less well-being, where survival required more time and physical effort and balancing home life was practically a pipe dream, but she also managed to overcome very hard personal blows such as the loss of loved ones at an early age.
Vicenta Bravo Marrero was recently honored by the Cabildo de Lanzarote with the Jameo de Oro, in the Heritage Field, a proposal that the mayor of Yaiza and councilor in the opposition of the Cabildo, Óscar Noda, made and defended on behalf of the municipality of Yaiza. Away from the spotlight of the institutional act of Honors and Distinctions 2026, held on June 25 in the auditorium of Jameos del Agua, Óscar Noda visited the honoree at her home to give her a gift as a token of affection and admiration, accompanied by councilors Águeda Cedrés, Freya Finch, Ángel Lago, and César Rijo.
“Listening to Vicenta, there are not enough words to describe her human quality, work capacity, and strength of overcoming. Those of us who were born and grew up in the municipality have seen her effort since we were little, so her life story is truly fascinating and incredible,” points out the mayor, who publicly thanks Vicenta for her hospitality, with whom he also shared moments of relaxed conversation on San Marcial's day, the big day of Femés.
Life Story
Vicenta Bravo Marrero is the mother of thirteen children and was widowed at 52 years old. Her life reflects the harshness of work as the leader of her home. A salt worker and an expert in the southern coast of Lanzarote, she also stood out for being an emblematic cook in the town of Femés, running the restaurant Casa Emiliano for many years, famous for its kid and rabbit dishes.
When she was a girl, she used to go to the salt pans in search of salt accompanied by her mother and a camel. She knew this traditional trade very well. She was raised by her grandmother and her mother. She says that she began to prepare the little salt pans in April so that her mother and grandmother could sell them. Vicenta, a person of human quality recognized by everyone, was also honored in 2025 during the commemorative events of the 50th anniversary of Timanfaya National Park.
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