The ceremony, which took place this Sunday, brought together the family of Pilar Ruano with priest Salvador Santana, the author of the popular composition. Little Gara, the granddaughter of the woman who inspired the song, received the sacrament from the same clergyman who, decades ago, baptized her mother, Carla, in San Fernando de Maspalomas.
This symbolically charged encounter closed a circle of more than fifty years, connecting generations through a story that began in El Doctoral, in Santa Lucía de Tirajana. The family, although residing in Vecindario, chose the Agüimes temple to honor the tradition and legacy of Pilar Ruano, who passed away in 2007.
“"It is an immense joy, because it is curious how life leaves its mark, opening paths. Pino, may God have her enjoying His peace, then her daughter and now her granddaughter. They came and I said: blessed be God, what am I going to do? How could I refuse… to serve and enjoy life."
The song, titled Canto a la cieguita (Song to the Little Blind Girl), emerged in the early seventies, when Pilar was about 17 years old and Salvador Santana, then an 18-year-old, was beginning to stand out for his musical sensitivity. Both shared the same parish group, and her blindness inspired the young man to compose a melody that soon became part of the popular Canarian imagination.
The lyrics, which begin with "She walked down the street while I sang, a young girl who saw nothing…", narrate a moving encounter that has transcended the local sphere. The composition, recorded and disseminated, has been recognized by several generations, many of whom are unaware of the real story behind its verses.
The baptism of Gara, born in January 2025, along with her parents and her grandfather, who is also visually impaired, became a tribute to the ability of popular songs to unite lives and preserve stories over time, demonstrating that some memories never fade.
