Juana and Enrique González, from the ‘Postal Family’, announce the Los Remedios festivities. The post office operated from their family home for over 70 years.
In an era when being a postman meant surrendering a room in the family home to be converted into a post office—essentially a 24-hour service point for the community—three generations of the González family handled postal services in the municipality of Yaiza for more than 70 years. Siblings Juana and Enrique González Hernández, known in the community as ‘the postal family’, proclaimed the Los Remedios festivities on Friday in their village square. They reflected on the service conditions of the past and the close relationships they maintained with the locals as bearers of both good and bad news, taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane while also addressing the socioeconomic context of southern Lanzarote, heavily influenced by the residents’ dedication to the primary sector.
“One day at three in the morning, a woman knocked on the door because she had received a notice about a certified letter she needed to collect in the office in Arrecife. However, she thought it was in Yaiza and came here to pick it up. The postman got up, opened the window, explained what she needed to do, and she left feeling reassured,” narrated Juana González, recounting an anecdote that illustrates her family’s commitment to the community. She was joined at the table by her brother Enrique, Yaiza’s mayor Oscar Noda, the councillor for festivities Daniel Medina, and the parish priest of Yaiza, Jonathan Almeida.
Although Juana was not a postal employee, she assisted by receiving letters, searching for stamps, and sorting incoming mail—a role also filled by other members of this family of nine siblings. The mayor of Yaiza praised “the dedicated service of the family to the community and their contributions in crucial areas like education. Juana was a school teacher and has devoted many years of her life to supporting the parish’s pastoral mission as a catechist.”
Regarding postal services, Juana explained, “delivery was punctual every day. It was essential to deliver telegrams urgently since, unfortunately, most of them did not bring good news. Families anxiously awaited letters from relatives away, girls awaited letters from their boyfriends, postal orders (money sent by mail), newspapers subscribed to by some residents, and the occasional package.” With a smile, Juana remarked, “that’s how we lost the surname González, and now everyone knows us as ‘the postal family’.”
Daniel Medina emphasised “the respect that Yaiza holds for the González family due to their service and their collaborative relationship with the parish. They are very much beloved individuals.” The councillor also praised “the support from the Yaiza festivities committee and all the ideas shared to agree on the programme for Los Remedios—a fortnight of conviviality, joy, and tradition.”
Agriculture: A Symbol of Unity
Furthermore, the speech by ‘the postal family’ highlighted how agriculture breathed life into the village while simultaneously strengthening familial and social ties: “all family members participated in agricultural tasks, and neighbours helped one another, sharing successes and failures, joys and sorrows.” Juana González reminisced about the time of sowing cereals and legumes “in the land in the centre of the village and even on the mountainside (where today fireworks are set off to mark the end of the festivities). The view was a beautiful green landscape intertwined with colourful herbs and the harvest, such as white and yellow straw and the red poppies.”
The fruits harvested, she added, “were tasty, healthy, and natural: prickly pears, or picones as we call them here, and figs from the fig tree or brevas. Both were eaten fresh or sun-dried. The dried figs were known as ‘figs passed’, and the picones were called ‘porretos’. Let’s not forget the sweet grapes, which, according to the elders: ‘grapes, cheese, and gofio smooth out wrinkles’.”
Festivities Honouring the Virgin
After presenting historical information about the Yaiza parish, Juana González dedicated heartfelt words to the southern celebration under the Marian invocation of Los Remedios, with the main day on 8 September: “a mother never tires of waiting and rejoices every time her children visit. Like any mother, she awaits us with open arms and a big smile. If we look at our Mother of Los Remedios, we will always see her smiling, with a serene and agreeable gaze.” Yaiza is now in festive spirit and invites the people of Lanzarote to join in this celebration of joy and fellowship. The complete programme is published on www.yaiza.es.
