Saturday, March 16, 2013

Pension Espana and Juana de Villalba




The above is a picture of the Pension Espana, established by my great grandmother, Juana de Villalba.  This 25-room hotel stood at 8 Av. Sur y 2 Calle Ote in San Salvador and was established by her in 1920.

I don't have much on my great-grandmother, and found nothing searching for her with a last name of Segura, Villalba or Calabuik (probably Calabuig or Calabuix).  Then I remembered that my grandmother Rosie often used "de Villalba" to indicate her married name.  Searching for Juana de Villabla, I found three sources referencing her and her hotel!

The first was Camaro27's Flickr site, where this picture was taken from and where he has a whole set of pictures of El Salvador 1880-1950.  This picture had the following caption:

Pension Espana, San Salvador 1916
Vista de la Pension Espana de dona Juana viuda de Villalba.  Utilizado en los anos sesenta por Boarding House Warletta, este edificio permanecio en pie hasta 1986, cuando fue demolido.  En el presente, es un lote balidio. 
Translated:
View of the Pension Espana, owned by the widow Dona Juana deVillalba.  Used in the sixties by Warletta Boarding House, this building remained standing until 1986, when it was demolished.  Currently, its former site is a vacant lot.
Camaro27's wonderful set of photos can be view at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camaro27/sets/72157624218503138/with/7876421686/

The second was a website devoted to hotels and tourism and contained a table with the Pension Espana listed (I listed the facts in my first paragraph above).  It can be viewed at:
 http://wwwisis.ufg.edu.sv/wwwisis/documentos/TE/647.94-A581p/647.94-A581p-Capitulo%20I.pdf

The last one was from the website for the Asociacion Salvadorena de Hoteles and had a little longer write up:

Pension Espana:  Segun relata el Libro Azul de El Salvador, su propietario Juana de Villalba habia logrado que este popular centro de recreo fuera merecedor de la alta estima de que gozaba.  La excelencia de sue mesa habia llamado la atencion de aquellas personas que la vistaban, el edificio tenia dos pisos y el segundo se encontraba las habitaciones de precios mas modicos.  Estaba ubicado a una cuadra de la residencia Presidencial, en la esquina de la 8a avenida y 2a calle oriente. 
Translated:
Pension Espana:  According to the Blue Book of El Salvador, the owner of this popular recreation center, Juana de Villalba, has earned high esteem which she enjoys.  The excellence of its appointments has garnered praise from those who have stayed there.  The building has two floors and the second floor rooms are more modestly priced.  It is located a block away from the Presidential Residence, on the corner of 8a Avenue South and 2a Street East.

The link for this website is: http://www.hoteles-elsalvador.com/old/index.php?lang=es&articulo=41

2 comments:

mpalacios7 said...

Tengo otra foto interesante de la pensión España en su interior, pero no se cómo anexarla, ¿me podría decir cómo hacerlo?. Sería bueno que apareciera en este blog.

Unknown said...

Soy hija de Alfredo Juarez Villalba, nacido en el Salvador y vivio en ese hotel por 10 años luego se vinieron a Guatemala, la madre de mi padre era Carmen Villalba