Red hair, deep blue eyes and athletic figure, Maria had a strong character and a surprising physical strength for a girl. At the age of 14 she was in charge of the farm, knew how to handle a machete, drove a Caterpillar and was a skilled mechanical and carpenter who built her own ships, and ruled workers in the farm being as good or better as any of them. The Kautz Gross sisters frequently traveled on sailing boats crossing Lake Nicaragua from the small town of San Carlos to the city of Granada, where they bought food and cloth, and sailed back to the farm.