Family History

The Mallorca, Spain, Southern France, and Ciales, Puerto Rico Roots

Many, many years ago, a young Mallorcan observed the arrival and departure of ships in the port of Sóller in Mallorca, Spain. At that time, there was an active emigration of Mallorcans to the Caribbean. This young man, named Gabriel Garau Castañer, dreamed of traveling to the Caribbean, like many other Spaniards.

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One source says Gabriel arrived in Puerto Rico as a stowaway. Another source says he was offered a job on a ship and eagerly accepted it. Which was the truth, we don't know. The ship was sailing to Cuba, stopping in San Juan, Puerto Rico first. After a long journey across the Atlantic, the ship arrived at the port of San Juan and the young man went ashore with much excitement to see and explore this new world. It is possible that he entered the capital through La Puerta de San Juan that is still standing today, one of five that at that time gave entrance to the walled city.

He must have spent hours walking, discovering and admiring the city, its people and its views. When he returned to the port to continue his journey, the ship had already set sail on its voyage to Cuba and return trip to Mallorca. Pictured: San Juan Gate

Gabriel was welcomed by the growing community of Mallorcans who had settled in San Juan. A local merchant offered him food and shelter in exchange for working on his establishment. Over time, Gabriel’s skills, integrity and hard work were recognized. The owner of the business recommended him to a Frenchman with a coffee farm between Ponce and Ciales, named don Luis Lafaye, who took him in.

Don Luis had two sons and three daughters. He became ill and decided to return to his hometown in the south of France. He wanted to leave his youngest daughter, 15-year-old Teresa, already married. He offered Gabriel, who had become a valuable and trusted employee, to marry Teresa and leave him part of his farm. This farm came to supply coffee to the Vatican in Rome, a great prestige. Our ancestors received the great honor of having their coffee recognized and chosen by the Vatican.

Gabriel and Teresa settled in Ciales and had eight daughters. Their fifth daughter, Catalina (Catín) Garau Lafaye, was eventually known to her descendants as Mamitín.

When Catín was a preadolescent, she lived in Mallorca for two years. In Spain, she learned various crafts, sawing, embroidery, and cooking, among others, and taught them to her daughters. She liked painting, but it was at the age of 60 that she took classes and painted in oil.

The young Catín, back in Ciales, captivated a young man named Máximo Núñez González and they started dating. Catín's father, Gabriel, did not approve of this relationship and sent Catín to the house of one of her maternal uncles in Ponce. But Máximo was persistent and called her on the phone. When Catín returned to Ciales, her relationship with Máximo continued, and her father, Gabriel, told them to get married. When they married, Catín was 19, and Máximo 23 years old.

Máximo, known to his descendants as Papi Núñez, was a native of Ciales, where his family came from for several generations. His father, Juan Núñez, was a farmer and his mother, Juana González, was a housewife. Juan and Juana had four sons and three daughters. Juan died when Máximo was about eight years old. Máximo, who was one of the youngest, went to school until the 6th grade and became a messenger and helper to his older brothers. With them he learned how to work as a merchant.

Papi Núñez and Mamitín were very dedicated to their family. Papi Núñez worked several jobs as a salesman and merchant and ventured into farming with a small coffee farm. He eventually bought a 40-acre coffee farm in the Frontón neighborhood of the municipality of Ciales. The central mountains of Puerto Rico were an ideal place to grow coffee. As a farmer, he consulted with his father-in-law, Gabriel. Even though Gabriel had opposed his marriage to his daughter, Papi Núñez became his most trusted son-in-law. Coffee cultivation was largely a family tradition.

Pictured: Mamitín and Papi Núñez

The soil, terrain, and climate of that area are very favorable for growing Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica (/əˈræbɪkə/), also known as the Arabica coffee. It is a species of flowering plant in the coffee and madder family Rubiaceae. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to have been cultivated and is the dominant and finest grain in the world – from Wikipedia).

Mamitín and Papi Núñez had nine children. Their eldest child, Ana Teresa, died at the age of two. Their other eight children are Carmen Eugenia (Miñón), Gabriel Juan, Ana Esmeralda (Cuqui), Catalina María (Catin), Teresa (Tere), Gloria, Máximo Antonio (Max) and Juanita Margarita.

The coffee farm supported the family, not only by growing coffee, but also by growing other minor fruits such as oranges, bananas, and plantains as well as by producing charcoal. As the family grew and the children became teenagers and young adults, Mamitín and Papi Núñez decided to move from the farm to the town (downtown) of Ciales and later have a presence in San Juan, where commerce, culture and education were growing rapidly. This also gave their children the opportunity to finish high school, attend college and technical school, and pursue a graduate education.

Papi Núñez and Mamitín wanted to keep the family as united as possible. The transition from the countryside to San Juan was gradual. To support the family in San Juan, Papi Núñez bought a grocery store in San Juan and Mamitín had a successful lunch-at-home business, which began with customers from Ciales and expanded to local ones. After selling the grocery store, Papi Núñez stayed on the farm during the week and came to San Juan during the weekends.

While the family's presence in Ciales and San Juan gave the children greater opportunities (the original purpose of the move), it also had the strategic benefit of preparing the family for the transformation of Puerto Rico's economy from a large agricultural sector to a growing industrial and commercial sector. Beginning in the 1950s, Puerto Rico industrialized rapidly, and farming became more difficult.

Kudos to Mamitín and Papi Núñez. The decision to keep their family together and emphasize the education of all their children, created the foundation of the Family Tree that are gathering in Nashville, TN on June 28, 2025, to celebrate the Núñez Garau Family.

Pictured: Scenes from Farm in Fronton, PR