Part 1: El Ingeniero con Alma de Poeta

El Remolino

Papi was born in El Remolino, a small town to the south of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. At the time of his birth, maps failed to include El Remolino among more notable towns of the state of Zulia, yet he vividly recalled a childhood of comfortable abundance followed by sudden scarcity.

He admired his father, a rancher and landowner who generated considerable wealth prior to surrendering his lands to cover his brother’s debts. The details of this exchange escape me, and my father’s absence precludes corroboration, but this rapid turn of events shaped my father’s determination to depart from his birthplace in search of independence.

He practiced boxing and basketball as a teenager, learning not to fold his thumb under his remaining fingers to avoid fracturing his hand when punching an opponent. His athleticism persisted years after his retirement, marked by the ease with which he scored 3-point shots on our driveway as I practiced left-handed layups.

His brilliance ultimately paved the way from El Remolino to Mexico in the late 1950s. He excelled in mathematics and thrived within rigorous academic environments, garnering him a reputation as an astute intellectual.

He pursued a career in mining engineering and gradually descended into the winding tunnels carved beneath the earth’s surface. My father’s escape to Mexico also gave way for his greatest love — art.