In 1967, when Cecilio Benítez moved to Santa Fe from Madrid, Spain, he thought he had landed his dream job as a radio announcer for the Spanish-language radio station KDCE in Española.

Given the region's Spanish history, Benítez was eager to introduce the Spanish composers and operettas — zarzuelas — that he listened to as a child. Much to his consternation, things didn't work out the way he had hoped. "Almost immediately the station started getting calls from people complaining — they didn't want to listen to my choice in music, they wanted me to play Frijolitos Pintos," Benítez recalls.

After his first jolt of culture shock, the theatrical director, now 76, quickly learned that he was not in sync with his ancestral brethren. But through years of persistence, he has managed to introduce his world to New Mexico.

As the executive co-director of the Institute for Spanish Arts, Benítez has been instrumental in not only introducing the music of Spain but also the works of Federico García Lorca, Alejandro Cason, José Zorrilla and many other cultural icons. Equally important, he has elevated the world of flamenco to a new level, thanks to the talent and creativity of his wife of 44 years — New Mexico's own flamenco star, María Benítez.

Cecilio Benítez has worked in all sorts of capacities for the Institute for Spanish Arts including stage manager, set and lighting designer, director, company manager and driver, to name a few.

"No more hotels," he says as he recalls the days when the dance troupe was on the road, performing in 250 different cities in one year. All of the hard work culminated in 2006 when María Benítez received Spain's most prestigious award, La Cruz de Isabel la Católica, for the company's successful efforts at introducing the Spanish arts to the United States.

Cecilio Benítez was born in 1933 in Arenys de Mar, a small town near Barcelona, to a Catalan mother and Basque father. He was 6 when the Spanish Civil War broke out, and he lives with that history today: he bears a scar on his right hand from a wound suffered as he tried to help free a prisoner, as well as psychological scars.

"They tried to kill my father and they robbed our house. There wasn't any food; everything was bought and sold on the black market," recalls Benítez.

These days, life isn't as hectic for Benítez. He and his wife split their time between Santa Fe and Madrid, where they maintain an apartment. During their visits to Spain, the couple is busy with their extended family. Benítez is the youngest of six brothers, all of whom are still living. Cecilio and María have one son, Francisco, who lives in Santa Fe; from a previous marriage, Benítez has another son and daughter, one grandchild and one great-grandchild living in Spain.

In addition to helping María with the dance institute, he serves as a mentor and promoter to Francisco. A classically trained artist, Francisco is at work on an exhibit that will be held in Dallas in February. As a boy, Francisco would work alongside his father in his studio where he learned to paint and carve.

"Francisco is one of the few artists in this country to create the encaustic art form that the Egyptians practiced five thousand years ago," Benítez says proudly.

When Benítez isn't prodding his wife and son to more creative heights, he spends time on Facebook with his former students at Verde Valley School. Benítez taught Spanish literature at the private school in Sedona, Ariz., from 1969 to 1973 and he has fond memories of that experience. "It was a very progressive school and the students were very motivated. Most of them have gone onto successful careers in the arts."

Ana Pacheco is at work on the city of Santa Fe's 400th Anniversary Commemorative issue that will be published in The New Mexican on Feb. 7. Her weekly tribute to our community elders appears every Sunday she can be reached at 474-2800.