The beginning

Abuela Nelly and our mom, Yvonne, in April of 1979.

On October 20, 1984, our grandmother, Nelly, was tragically taken from us. Thirty-seven years later, we are still left with many questions about what happened to her during the fateful early morning. And our need to answer those questions was the impetus of this project. In honor of her memory and the memory of those who came before her, we created “Cuéntame: Tell me their story.”

On October 22, 2021, we invite you to join us on a journey, an adventure, and a mission as we put together the pieces of our family’s history. As children, we heard cuentos, short stories about family members - living and deceased. Their names rang through our ears for decades, and their faces became permanently stamped into our minds. Their spirits moved through our home, and we welcomed every opportunity to know more about them - the good and the bad. As adults, we crave to fill in the gaps of their lives, and for weeks we have been searching for every tidbit of information that tells us more about their worlds, both in New York and on the island of Puerto Rico.

Over the next few months, we hope to share our stories, our research, and our ancestors’ lives with you. So, pull up a chair, grab your cafecito, and listen to our stories.