Sánchez

Have you ever wondered where you come from? I don’t mean, “Oh, I came from Ponce because I was born there.” NO! I mean where your family comes from, your heritage. Maybe you come from a royal family in Spain or from a family of slaves from Africa who had to work their sweat off to make it good. Who knows, you’d be surprised. I got to thinking, why don’t I know more about my family? I mean it’s not like it’s going to hurt to know. So I sat down with my grandparents and it surprised me where I, Stephanie Rivera Sánchez came from.

As my grandpa told me my descendants come from Spain. That’s where the name Sánchez came from. My family tree starts all the way from 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered America. In the journey with him was a sailor named Rodrigo Sanchez and that’s where the Sánchez started here in Puerto Rico. As time passed the Sánchez kept multiplying and multiplying. It got to the bridge where it became a common name. It surprised me that I come from a person who helped made one of most important discoveries known to history. It makes me proud of my family; intrigues me to know more about my family and myself.

Once here in Puerto Rico, my family got settled in Santa Isabel by the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s and until this day, 2011, we are still here today. That’s a long time---almost over 100 years. Sure my great-grandparents, Nicasio Sánchez Torres and Loida Cruz Morales, moved around, one place been San Juan, but we always found a way to be back here in our home town, Santa Isabel. My grandpa told me that his mom was naturally from Santa Isabel but that his dad was from Coamo, still the southern area of Puerto Rico. My grandpa’s parents had to work their way to find a better life for him and his two brother, my grandpa been the middle one. They were middle class but still manage to make a living; my great granddad, Nicasio Sánchez, worked as a barber and my great grandma, Loida Cruz, was a seamstress. Sadly, they became orphans because back then it was really hard to get medicated and they both got really sick and died. They were raised by their grandparents, in other words my great-great grandparents.

My grandma’s side is a whole different story. My grandma was from a high class family. She was the daughter of Jose Colón Torres, the owner of all the lands and colonies in Santa Isabel, which meant they had money. His lands were most sugar canes. She lived in the big house of the colony. In the house were many women who came and helped her grandmother. She had a good life. My great-grandpa became to be the owner and the boss of many lands because he showed that he was a responsible worker, serious, dedicated. He started working there as a normal farmer but during his time working there he proved himself. So after a few years, few raises and promotions he got to where he did. He was a well provider, good husband and great father of 16 children, my grandma being the 4^th from oldest to youngest. My grandma’s mom, Clotilde Santiago Cedeño, was a stayed home mom. She was a typical Puerto Rican mom, she cooked, she cleaned, she raised the kids---she did everything a mom was capable of doing.

In December 1956, it happened. My grandpa, Nicasio Sánchez Cruz, met the love of his life, Lydia Maria Colón Santiago, my grandma. That’s where my present family comes from. It wasn’t your average couple, a 21 year old man coming from a middle class family to be with a 23 year old woman from a high class family. In fact, at the beginning of their relationship it was hard due to the fact of differences in their families and the differences in age, but like most couple they didn’t mind because they were in love. My grandma’s family just had to accept it, which in the end they welcomed my grandpa as one of their own. Five months after they met, they got married. You don’t see that now a day, couples getting married after five months together, in fact couples wait years and years before their married; then again those we other times.

I’m proud of who I am and where I come from. It’s made my family and I’m honored of my ancestors. Now my family is composed of my loving grandparents, my aunts Loida and María del C. and my mom Ivonne. There’s also my two cousins Axel and Omar, my big brother Luis G and then there’s me the only girl and the youngest.