This is the 3004th most frequent Spanish word.
conocía
"Conocía" means "knew" or "was familiar with."
In this sentence, 'conocía' is used to express a past continuous knowledge or familiarity with someone over a period of time.
Conocía a María desde la infancia.
I knew María since childhood.
Here, 'conocía' indicates past familiarity or understanding of a place.
Conocía bien la ciudad tras años de vivir allí.
I was familiar with the city after years of living there.
The sentence uses 'conocía' to signify past knowledge or proficiency in a skill or subject.