A Good Friend : Maria Lopez Sanchez Happy at Home in San Fernando

Maria Lopez Sanchez meets with her friends every day under two towering pine trees on a street corner half a block from her house in San Fernando. She holds court with a group of mostly Spanish-speaking men, some who work nights and stop by after breakfast. She remembers the time 60 years ago when the vacant lot was the site of the Methodist church and the pine trees were much smaller. As a young woman, she began translating for people of her community, as well as interpreting for them in court. At age 77, she still helps Spanish-speaking people who need assistance.

Five years ago Sanchez, who loved dancing, suffered an injury to her foot while doing a Mexican hat dance at Las Palmas Park. Complications caused by undiagnosed diabetes followed and she eventually lost her right leg below the knee. Although she has no trouble getting people to wheel her up the ramp at her home or to her daily street corner meetings, it is her prayer that one day she will be able to walk with a cane from her home to the street corner and back.

My name is Maria Lopez Sanchez. I was born in San Fernando. I lived here all my life and raised six children, three girls and three boys.

My house was a wedding present from my mother and my father. My father was from the state of Jalisco and my mother was from the state of Michoacan. My dad came here to stay for 15 days and he stayed until he was 94.

I got married to a good man--he didn’t smoke, he was a good baseball player. His name was John Garcia. They used to call him Chango--that’s a monkey. “Ponte, Chango, ponte Chango.” To us that word, ponte , means “be alert.”

He played for San Fernando Mission. They were going to sign him to play in Calexico when he went to Mexico. He got killed a month after that.

They killed my husband at Las Palmas Park thinking it was my brother-in-law, who used to go out with the girls and didn’t marry them. I was sitting right next to him when they pointed the gun at me, but it wasn’t my time. Then they shot my husband. He died in 1942 and I was pregnant. From there on, I raised my kids cleaning houses.

I did a lot of housework because I wanted to be at home by the time my kids were out of school. Finally I started interpreting in the courts because I knew the two languages, English and Spanish, and I could write both of them. They didn’t pay me but the lady I went to interpret for, she would give me $5. At that time you could buy a lot of things for $5.

All my life I’ve worked. Right now, I make capes, crocheted capes. I make hats, too.

I’ve always been attracted to people. That’s why you see a lot of people come and visit me. This lady who lives across the street, she thinks they are all my boyfriends, but they’re not, they’re friends. Friends from the heart who have never forgotten me because they didn’t know English.

I was in a rest home. I was there a whole year. I’ve been back in my house a year in December. I’m happy. People say, ‘How come you’re crying?’ I’m crying because I’m happy that the Lord let me come to my house again. Every time I talk about my house, I have tears in my eyes because that was a gift that my mother gave me.

I’m happy living in my hometown. That’s what counts. They tell me, ‘Maria, you look younger, what are you doing?’ I say, ‘I’m happy I’m at home. I feel like a bird when he comes back and finds his nest.’ That’s the way I feel. I’m a regular San Fernando girl.