Marquez reflects on 100 years

Jesse Gallegos | For The New Mexican

7/12/2008 - 7/13/08

It's safe to say that George Marquez is old-school. No really — old, old school.

On a recent afternoon, Marquez was eating a bowl of green chile in his modest home in Bernal, not far from Las Vegas, N.M., and within seconds of greeting me, asked me to join him. But that's just Marquez, who is 100 years old.

"I would like to live two, maybe three more years," says Marquez in Spanish. "I want to spend the time I have with my kids."

Marquez and his wife, Maria, had 12 children. Maria died in 1993 at age 81; five of the couple's children have also died.

"If I could have 10 minutes with her, I would tell her how much I miss her and how much I wish she was still here with me," says Marquez. "I treated her good. I would still buy her candies and cookies even as we got older. I think the day I die, God will point her out to me and say, 'Here is her spirit.' "

His son, Jimmy Marquez, takes care of his father 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"The way I look at it, is that he took care of us so it's our turn to take care of him," Jimmy Marquez, says, adding that his brothers and sisters lend a hand.

How old-school is George Marquez? Put it this way: When he started working at age 12, he would hand over his entire check to his mom. After he got married, he gave his money to his wife.

"I told my dad to take me out of school in the fifth grade and that I wanted to start work," George recalls.

That was just the way it was back then. Education, especially for Hispanic men in Northern New Mexico, wasn't a premium in the early part of the century.

"I thank God every moment," George says. "I think part of the reason I am still alive is that I worked real hard all my life."

Marquez didn't have the luxury of modern equipment in his job as a railroad worker. His best friends were a shovel and a pick.

"I remember taking a horse wagon and selling wood in Las Vegas for about $2.75 a load," George recalls. "In a good summer, I would sell about 4,000 pounds of beans. That was a way to make extra money."

In many respects, he is fortunate. He still reads the local newspaper and enjoys watching Telemundo, a Spanish television station.

"He wakes up every morning, eats two fried eggs — he likes them over easy," Jimmy says. "He will eat them with tortillas and leftover chile or beans from the night before. That's his best meal. After that, he eats a little for lunch and a little at dinner."

Jimmy says his dad worked at his ranch until he was 93, when he broke a hip. Then the wear and tear of his body began to show.

"Back in the day, neighbor would help neighbor. My advice to the new generation is to help each other like we used to. God will help you if he sees this," says George.

His 100 years of life have not gone unnoticed. George was recently sent a certificate by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and also a letter from President Bush and his wife, Laura, congratulating him on turning 100.

Jesse Gallegos is an editorial assistant at New Mexico Highlands University. He also writes a column for The Las Vegas Times, a weekly paper in Las Vegas, N.M. If you have any ideas you would like to share, contact him at 505-429-2507.