 In 1889 the unexpected death of her father in Cuba led to confusing administrative problems and the family was left in ruins.Her mother, a fragile but enterprising woman with a strong personality, took her three sons and two daughters to Bilbao and, in 1891, set up a residential school for girls to study French and English and improve their cultural skills.María started teaching at her mother's Anglo-French academy and then began to teach in the public schools of Bilbao.