“My father has lived the life he wanted,” says Argólida, one of the daughters of Antonio Rivero, the man who was able to get into the shoes of the authentic Chiquito de la Calzada for eight years, from 1995 to 2013, demonstrating his humorous and acting skills in each edition of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival. His family and those close to him say goodbye to him this Tuesday in room 3 of the Santa Lastenia funeral home, from where they draw all the possible strength to tell, in DIARIO DE AVISOS, how he was the man who always made them laugh out loud with his jokes. and occurrences of him.
Antonio was born on March 16, 1934 and left last night, at 89 years old, due to the consequences of Alzheimer’s, a disease that was diagnosed in 2015. “It has never been mentioned, but he was the son of a Brazilian woman. My grandmother was very carnival-oriented. She had it in her blood. I believe that she passed it on to the first of her children,” says Argólida. And Chiquito de Tenerife always liked to be lazy.
Before imitating the comedian and actor from Malaga, who died in 2017, they knew him as ‘El Manena’, like his father, Eladio, a cambullonero who relieved a lot of hunger in the chicharrero neighborhood of Santa Clara. “From him she learned funny jokes, picaresque means, and he told many anecdotes,” reveals his daughter.
Argólida has endless anecdotes about her father in her mind, like when she jumped into the sea in Valleseco with shoe polish in her hair and came out with almost her entire face painted black. When she realized it, she explains, “she started singing ‘I’m a miner’; he had those things.” Before becoming the Chiquito of Tenerife, Antonio worked as a conductor in the kennel buses (the blue ones), in which he managed to load a donkey for 25 pesetas, and in Litografía Romero.
“I lived the Carnival all year round”
Antonio Rivero imitated Chiquito de la Calzada so well that he began to act like him. “He lived Carnival all year round, not just in January and February. They were identical. And he began to make his own jokes, imitating the gestures and way of walking of the real character,” says his daughter. Thus, he became one of the illustrious of the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, among which are others such as Charlot, La Lecherita, Miss Peggy, Cantinflas, Fidel Castro, Harpo, Doña Croqueta, Don Ciruelo, the Knight of the Palmatoria and the Priest of the Carnival.
“They were a bunch and were always here and there,” says Argólida. And part of the success of the great chicharrera party lies in those who have dedicated their time and effort to get into the skin of such iconic characters. The secret, according to Antonio Rivero’s daughter, is that “everyone identified with their characters.”
“My mother, Doña Esther, who was a good seamstress, made the colorful printed shirts, which are the ones she brought out, year after year, at galas. “We all supported him a lot,” adds Argólida. And that’s how Antonio lived his life, a sincere and open man who was always happy.
It was also common to see Chiquito de Tenerife at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López, always with his blue and white scarf hanging around his neck. Luis, another of his sons, remembers that he “entered the stadium, before the games, and walked around throwing candy and cheering.”
Love demonstrations
The news of the death of Antonio Rivero, the Chiquito of Tenerife, has brought with it numerous expressions of affection towards his family, although “since he was admitted we have received all the love from the people,” he points out.
Before saying goodbye, Argólida and Luis want to thank the exquisite treatment they have received from the health professionals at Quirón Salud. “We want to give a big round of applause to all of them and especially to the staff, nurses, doctors and assistants on floor 3. They get a 10.”
