Curiosities of the Casa Grande de Las Rosas

Located in the neighborhood of Las Rosas, in the upper part of Villa Ramblera, it offers, like a real balcony, an extraordinary panoramic view of the entire northern slope of the Island, as well as enjoying calm and relaxation as it is a place where the silence is protagonist. That is why we have spoken with Felipe Reyes, grandson of the landlord of said property in the last century.

property of the oramas

But in the walls of this emblematic property that was owned by the Oramas family, secrets and experiences worth remembering are hidden and at the same time pay tribute to the couple formed by José Reyes and Susana Gil, who dared to rent the house and its adjoining farm and that, with a lot of effort and personal sacrifice, they managed to make this large farm provide work for many neighbors during the difficult times of the twenties of the last century and help their family of seven children get ahead.

The agricultural and livestock activity of this farm was very productive and innovative, even giving way to products not harvested until now in the area, achieving optimal results in quality and production.

life support

But the future of this house was very hard, especially when the Spanish civil war broke out from 1936 to 1939, not only because of economic precariousness but also because of the decrease in the workforce due to the sending of two of their children to the war. Even so, it served as a livelihood for many people with pressing needs; and it is in this time of difficulties when two curious forms of life appear, if possible, on the one hand the so-called scavengers appear, men and women from the region and other neighboring towns in charge of removing the land where all the production of potatoes of the season to obtain small quantities of them in terrible conditions. And on the other hand, the figure between the relationship between José Reyes and these needy people emerged, such as that of shelter and food in exchange for work. All they needed was some food and a room where they and some other families accompanied by their children could sleep.

The Casa Grande was already popular and became the motor center of the Barrio de las Rosas; hunger and misery was not a reason to faint and lose harmony among all the neighbors.

the postman is coming

Its square with the cistern, made of outstanding channera stone, was the center of games, songs and dances for children and adults, also seasoned with moments of extreme expectation to try to spot the postman – a very important figure of the moment – ​​to receive letters from their relatives enrolled in the war and in later years of their husbands residing in Venezuela.

School and medical center

José Reyes was a very appreciated person, always willing to show his wisdom, for which many people, at the end of the day after hard days of work, learned to read and write the light of a lamp

But here is not the thing, this emblematic place was also –as his grandson Felipe tells us–, as a Medical Center because of his acquired expertise, José Reyes was able to operate the so-called cloud in the eye using a knife as the only instrument of barber and many recovered their vision thanks to this gift, in other cases, he also proceeded to drain any abscess, generally located in infected areas by an injection.

paranormal facts

A great extreme scare occurred when the first plane appeared flying over the area, something unknown at the time and that led to prayers and petitions to the almighty thinking that it was the moment of the end of the world, and our narrator remembers that he and his mother hid under a bed, before such a strong scare.

Another paranormal phenomenon of the time, caused many people to panic when they saw several very small lights hanging from the willows that were in the distance at night, although the next day they knew that it was a lighting fixture that a neighbor had set up. with several flashlight bulbs.

In addition to the important agricultural and livestock role that the Casa Grande projected throughout the region, we must not forget that in those days, it was also a place for neighborhood meetings, where problems were dealt with and solutions were given to them, or for lively party evenings and dances. that gathered the marriageable ladies and their suitors to enjoy the moment.

After its inauguration, the Casa Grande intends to be a center for agricultural dissemination and interpretation.