As you may know, I am from Nicaragua on my mother’s side. Both her parents were Nicaraguans : Nohemi and Emilio.

Born on the 23rd of July 1932 in Jinotega, Nicaragua (on her passport it is in 1933 due to some mistakes on the birth certificate). Her parents were Erasmo Espinoza and Mercedes Carvajal. Her mother died at birth.

Mimi grew up with her aunts, her father Erasmo’s sisters, “Tia Belinda” and “Tia Chola”.

Tia Benilda was effectively the matriach of the family.

Erasmo, Mimi’s father, didn’t want to recognize her at first, but eventually, he accepted and agreed to give her his last name. It took a lot of time and effort for my grandmother to get him to do that.

She grew up in Jinotega until she got a scholarship to study in Jinotepe. She got a certificate in accounting and went to work for a hospital where she met my grand father Emilio. She then had my mother, Maria Aracelli in 1961 in Mexico. She fell very sick for a year after the birth but recovered.

She had a business importing clothes and jewelry from Peru, Panama, Miami, Mexico and other countries. She eventually began a micro finance business.

In 1972 she overcame an earthquake that destroyed her home. She managed to rebuild her life as a single mother and bought land in the Los Robles neighbourhood in Managua where she built her house and paid for, over the course of 20 years.

(Information collected when talking to her in 2021 before she passed away)

She lived in her own house until the very end.

In terms of hobbies, she would build huge “nacimientos” or Nativity scenes with little figures, every Christmas.

She loved to embroider for hours intricate scenes and portraits (our dog Picasso, the last supper, Jesus Christ for example).

She travelled a lot and had a love for Edith Piaf and other classic songs and movies from the 1930s and 1940s.

She was a well-read woman who collected and read books about current events and politics.

She was a skeptical woman who always spoke her mind or told people off when she had to. She also had a lot of love to give and showed it by displaying her whole family in photographs in her house.

She was a thrifty woman who refused to waste a dime on anything useless.

Erasmo, Mimi’s father

Going through old photos my grandmother kept, I found some old photos of her father, Erasmo Espinoza. I think he was a farmer.

Do you have any photos or historical information about the Espinozas in Nicaragua? Let me know!

More details

From another chat with Mimi :

“At the age of 2, I stayed with my grandmother Petrona when my mother, Mercedes Carvajal, died.

When I was 2 years old, they brought the house of the Niña and my aunt Chola. They believed in me and sent me to a public school run by nuns. 

My first teacher was Mother Magdalena. I learned knitting and embroidery. I went to see her when she was in a wheelchair.

When I had your mum, a baby girl I went to see her. The first time Mother Magdalena saw Aracelli (my mother) she said: “I was going to pull your ears, but that girl is pretty”.

When I finished elementary school, I got a scholarship to study in Jinotepe.

I finished in 1953. I obtained a Baccalaureate. I went to Managua for an accounting course. I got to work in the general hospital of Managua in their accounting department and then to the local board of Beneficens until Aracelli was born in 61.

I travelled to Mexico for the birth. I fell ill after having Aracelli.

From April to July I had Polyneuritis, a disease of the extremes.

I bought the land the house is built. A company built the house. I had guests in rooms in the house (students, youth). 

Once you were born, I came to spend 1 year in Congo in 1987.

The Congo was beautiful. Ma Campagne was beautiful, where Opus Dei was. I also lived in the presidential galleries, it was a nice building.”

Mimi’s parents are Erasmo Espinoza and Mercedes Carvajal.

Mercedes Carvajal’s parents are Petrona López and Fernando Carvajal.

Erasmo’s parents are Manuel Espinoza and Conchita Sandino.

Orlando Rizo is the son of Teresita (“aunt Tere”), Erasmo’s sister.

Belinda was the sister of Manuel Espinoza, Erasmo’s father (photo) Aunt Delilah is Manuel’s daughter.

Orlando’s father is Bonifacio Rizo Gadea.

Tia Chola is the sister of Tía Teresita.

Nina was the sister of Mimi’s grandfather.”

(Discussion with Mimi with some help from her cousin, Orlando)