Alicia Rivas Amaya had her first child at the tender age of 14 and her last child when she was 49 years old. She and her husband Salvador had 18 children. She spent most of her life raising her children in San Miguel, El Salvador. Her life was not easy by any stretch of the imagination! She washed her family's clothes with a washboard. She ground corn by hand for tortillas and tamales. She raised chickens so that there would be eggs and meat for the family table as well as to sell to others for family income. She always made sure that nobody went hungry, including visitors who happened to stop by to visit the Amaya Family.
Alicia was a strict mother who wanted the best for her children. Her efforts were successful as she turned out 2 doctors, a laywer, an executive chef, a teacher and several successful small business owners. She raised her children to be honest and respectful, which are qualities that are not evident in many young people in more recent generations. Up to the day that she died she remembered every one of her children's birthdays.
She was a grandmother to 37 grandchildren and also a great grandmother to so many children we have lost count!
We are so blessed to have been able to visit with her in El Salvador right before she died and several other times before that. Here is a picture of her relaxing on one of the hammocks in her house when we visited her during Carnival in 2008:
The last time that we saw her alive was on the week of November 2, 2011, when she celebrated her 78th birthday. We arrived in San Miguel on Friday, October 28th. When we drove up to the Amaya residence, we were greeted by her daughter Cristina, who was in tears. We thought that Alicia had died before we could see her for the last time. She barely held on to life that whole day and we were sure that she would pass away before the new day dawned. Most of her children were able to fly from the U.S. to be with her in her final moments.
However, seeing all of her children gave her the strength to live until today, November 22, 2011. She passed away at 1:40 AM this morning with her faithful daughter Xeomara by her side.
Her family visited her today for the last time during this lifetime at her wake in San Miguel, where she looked like a beautiful bride!
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