My maternal grandfather’s name was Clemente Alpírez Garay.
I never knew him because he died in 48 when he was the victim of an ambush. He was shot while shouting “viva viva” to Don Pepe on his way back to the house on the outskirts of San Isidro del General. The armed movement had already triumphed, so he was celebrating the victory of the struggle in which he participated. I have always thought that he could have been the last one to fall.
His widow Isabel and their seven sons and daughters had to emigrate to San José in search of a better life. Shortly after and on behalf of the Government of the Republic, don Pepe gave them a small house in Hatillo and a modest pension as the family of the deceased ex-combatant. At that time he would have abolished the army, turned the budget to education and committed to return to power.
Thus, in the midst of a deeply Methodist household, stories of the revolution were daily fare, including many mentions of La Lucha, the legendary place where that rescue of the country had begun.
Because of this root and origin, around 1980 I went to visit La Lucha, guided by my friend Chino Cortés (QDDG) and in the company of my girlfriend and today my wife. We spent an unforgettable afternoon, inspiring and very conversational with don Pepe, with red coffee and a box of Familia cookies. It was a privilege of life of which I keep neither a photo nor a recording, but memories for the soul of that fascinating, simple and profound gentleman who had the opportunity to change our country and did it.
In those years Victor Ramirez interviewed him in front of the cameras and thus created an excellent video document that allows me to remember that visit to La Lucha. In this respectful and open space, I allow myself to include the interview available on Youtube as a reference and valid reflection for the times we live in.
In the simple, purist and essential framework of that cradle of movements capable of transforming, today I returned to La Lucha. We had almost a full quorum of the Board of Directors of Via Costarricense. With the fresh air and the sun shining, it was a new opportunity to talk about the national reality and the work for the country, while protecting the legacy, principles and values that allow us to see from the heights and farther.
It is always a good day to be in La Lucha.