Maria Candelaria Rodriguez Rivera

Sra. Maria Candelaria was born to Santos Rodriguez y Vicente and Juana Franco y Martinez, both from Cidra, PR, where they lived and worked on a platanos and tobacco farm. Canda, as she came to be known, sadly lost her mother to tuberculosis when she was only 6 years old. She was primarily raised with the help of her aunts and her paternal grandmother, Sra. Felicita Rodriguez. She met Juan Rivera when she was still relatively young and quickly fell in love. They got married and had a total of 6 biological children, plus 1 adopted child. Canda is a beloved mother, grandmother, devoted wife, and friend to many. She is best known to me, her nieta, as a warm-hearted, fun-loving Abuela with a beautiful smile and a killer arroz con dulce recipe.