Catalina Frequete

Catalina Frequete

Sumi Ink, metal leaf, and watercolor on paper, 17" X 22"

Ramona Casanova Elisalde. December 21, 2007. Perico Cuba.

Seg煤n yo tengo conocimiento la mama de la persona que viv铆a aqu铆 vino de Africa. Era Ma Teresa Zulueta, ya aqu 铆 en Cuba Zulueta pero el nombre eras Ma Teresa. Vino del Dahomey. vino como esclava y trabaj贸 mucho, criaba puercos, cortaba ca帽a para poder tener dinero para que sus hijos fueran libres. Dicen que ella criaba muchos puercos y cortaba mucha ca帽a para obtener centenes y as铆 pudo comprar todo ese pedazo que ustedes ven, desde la casa que estaba en construcci贸n all谩, todo este pedazo aqu铆 y la libertad de sus hijos porque dicen que era una persona alta muy fuerte, prieta que yo ten铆a una t铆a que se parec铆a mucho a ella. Mi t铆a tambi茅n cort贸 ca帽a. Ma Teresa Zulueta era la abuela de mi mam谩. mi mam谩 fallecida Mar铆a Luisa Elizalde, pero le dec铆an Catalina Frequete porque ese era el santo que ella ten铆a, Yemay谩. El caldero del patio y una tinaja del patio eran de Catalina Frequete, pero aqu铆 vivi贸 tambi茅n otra se帽ora que se llamaba Mar铆a Rivero, hija de Chang贸. No era familia nuestra, pero bueno antes se usaba que las personas emigraban de un lugar hacia otro dentro del mismo pa铆s y esa persona era de Pinar del R铆o, pero vino para ac谩 y vivi贸 aqu铆 hasta que aqu铆 mismo falleci贸 como parte de la familia nuestra. Yo era muy ni帽a, pero bueno la recuerdo perfectamente. Yo no s茅 si ten铆a santo hecho porque antes las personas 茅stas ten铆an santo, pero no era como ahora que es un santo coronado y en cuanto al vestir, generalmente estas personas se vest铆an de blanco o azul, colores...fundamentalmente de blanco. Yo recuerdo a Mar铆a Rivero siempre con una saya rizada blanca y un pa帽uelo como se lo ponen ahora, me parece que la estoy mirando. Debe haber sido Lucum铆, me imagino yo, pero no conozco mucho de aquella regi贸n y como les digo yo estaba muy ni帽a y no pod铆a precisar mucho.

To my knowledge, the mother of the person who lived here came from Africa.  It was Ma Teresa Zulueta.  They called her Zulueta here in Cuba, but her name was Ma Teresa.  She came from Dahomey.  She came as a slave and she worked a lot.  She raised pigs and cut cane to make money so that her children could be free.  They say she raised a lot of pigs and cut a lot of cane to get enough money, and that's how she bought that piece of land that you see, from that house in construction over there to this whole section here.  They say she was a person who was tall, very strong, and black, and I had an aunt that looked a lot like her.  My aunt also cut cane.  Ma Teresa Zulueta was my mother's grandmother.  (My late mother Mar铆a Teresa Elizalde), but they called her Catalina Frequete, because that was the saint that she had, Yemaya.  The caldron and a clay jar in the patio belonged to Catalina Frequete, but another woman lived here also, named Maria Rivero, daughter of Chang贸.  She was not part of our family, but, well, it used to be that people emigrated from place to place within the country, and that a person from Pinar del Rio came here and lived here until they died here, as part of our family.  I was a very young girl, but I remember her perfectly.  I don't know if she had been consecrated, because back then those people "had santo", but it wasn't like now, that it is a crowned saint, and you have to dress a certain way, generally back then people wore white or blue, colors, but usually white.  I remember Maria Rivero had a white, ruffeled skirt and a scarf like they wear today.  It seems like I am looking at her.  She must have been Lukumi, I imagine, but I don't know much about that region, and like I said, I was very young and didn't pay much attention.