After his father rides away to fetch Ultima, Antonio is saddened to think that soon he will begin school and will be separated from his mother, who is insisting that he and his sisters exhibit model behavior and great respect when Ultima arrives — especially Antonio, for he is destined, […]

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Ultima (“la Grande”) The elderly “folk healer” who comes to live with the Marez family. She has been a midwife to many women in the area and is sought for assistance by those who believe they have been cursed. She mentors Antonio during her final years. Maria Luna y Marez […]

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The setting for the novel is the Pecos Valley in New Mexico. The valley is situated on the western edge of the Great Plains Province, which comprises the eastern third of the state. It is bounded on the west by the Southern Rockies and on the east by the bluffs […]

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Antonio is nearly at the point of starting religious study for his first holy communion and is becoming concerned with good and evil in the world. Early in the novel, he witnesses the killing of Lupito, a war veteran, and fears that his father may be punished by God for […]

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