During last nights Easter Procession in Setenil de las Bodegas, one of the Costalero’s suffered a heart attack and was immediately taken to the local health center but passed away whilst being cared for. He was Francisco Ruiz, a 44 year old resident of Setenil.
Witnesses described seeing Ruiz stumble out from under the Virgen de los Dolores paso at 23:30, and then collapsing in the street. The procession halted to allow friends to rush Ruiz to the local medical centre where doctors had been informed to expect him, by which time he required urgent cardio resuscitation.
Today the village of Setenil is in shock, with Brotherhood foreman Jesus María Robles paying respect to Ruiz who had been a consistent bearer for 20 years. Ruiz’s funeral will take place at 7pm in Setenil’s cemetery this afternoon and the entire village is expected to attend to pay their last respects.
Carrying the pasos is a very demanding task, some can weigh several tonnes, but it is considered a great honour to be selected. Francisco Ruiz was well known in the village, and an active member of the Brotherhood of Santa Vera Cruz. Ronda Today offers our condolences to his family during this difficult time.
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain.