Voces del Prado

Prado families

Conchi Montero Velasco, General Services Assistant, 1970-2014

There were a number of families and, the truth is, that was just fine. There was never any problem with families. I don’t think it’s a bad thing if people are responsible. Sometimes you hear people say “That’s not good”. But it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, because at the end of the day it’s people you already know and, more or less, you already know what they’re going to be like. My father came from a village. Naturally, I wanted to find something for him because he didn’t have a job, so I spoke to the Secretary. At that time the Secretary was Pilar Pérez Martínez and I told her that my father had come. And she told me: “Don’t worry! If he’s anything like you, we’ll have him here tomorrow”. She was delighted. I went home that night and told my father, and he was over the moon. But before he joined, several police from the Prado came and interviewed the neighbors, even though they knew me and the Director had said that he could join. But they came anyway and asked the neighbors. “Look, do you know this family? Are they good people? Is there any problem with them?” Well no, there was no problem, no. Naturally, they had nothing bad to say; quite the contrary in fact. After fifteen or twenty days they called my father to come and work at the museum. He worked there at the Prado for twelve or thirteen years. He also worked in the exhibition halls. And my sister also joined the staff. I got her into the cafeteria and she was there for five or six years. Then she got married and had a baby, and her husband said “No”, you must stay at home and look after the child. But I stayed on. I was the first to join and the last the leave.