ABSTRACT
Plastic-covered saints and photos of her sons occupy every wall, shelf, and crevice in the house, symbols of the two points of reference in doña Lidia’s life, her religious faith and her “boys.” An attractive, silverhaired woman perhaps in her late sixties, doña Lidia is beloved by Nicaraguans for her warmth, kindness, and gentle good humor.
As the mother of President Daniel Ortega, Minister of Defense Humberto Ortega, revolutionary martyr Camilo and daughter Germania, daña Lidia has a wealth of memories and experiences to recount, from her early years in the gold-mining town of La Libertad to her later struggles to improve conditions for Somoza’s prisoners, including her own son. Throughout her story, one sees that doña Lidia’s deep religious faith and tenacious perserverance have sustained her when times were anxious and the outlook bleak.
