Based on the information given in in the beginning of chapter one Ultima went to live with Antonio and his family in the summer he was about to turn in seven. So, Antonio was only six years old when Ultima came to stay.
Ulitma is staying with the Marez family because she is very sick. Antonio’s mother, Maria, feels that she must care for Ultima because she was living all alone in Las Pasturas and after some convincing Antonio’s father believes so too. They believe it’s an honor to aid Ultima seeing she has helped them and so many others in life. It’s known that Ultima will spend her last days of life with the family. The settling of the novel begins with the family living in the outskirts of the town of Guadalupe, yet it’s known that when …show more content…
She is known to have helped many people with her abilities. She collects herbs and plants for her medicines, and it’s known from the first chapter that she aided Antonio’s mother for all six of her pregnancies. She has both physical and “magical” abilities that allow her to help others in need, I say magical because she knew what Antonio saw down in the river despite staying within the house. Yet, It’s known that Ultima is a curandera, not a witch. The Concern between Antonio’s future stemmed from what should have been done to his afterbirth; if the afterbirth was buried he would follow the ways of the valley people like his mother, yet if they were turned to ash and spread within the Illano he would be free like his forefathers. With time the conflict had come to whether Antonio would grow up to be a priest and help his people as his mother wanted, or become a vaquero and roam the lands freely like his father did. The only one who was the deciding factor in his parents’ conflict and knew Antonio’s future was Ultima though
The only pet that Ultima brought with her was an owl. It’s the same owl that use to scare Antonio and his sister’s when they heard it hooting at night. Yet Antonio now began to find the owl comforting as if the owl watched over him to protect
Ulitma is staying with the Marez family because she is very sick. Antonio’s mother, Maria, feels that she must care for Ultima because she was living all alone in Las Pasturas and after some convincing Antonio’s father believes so too. They believe it’s an honor to aid Ultima seeing she has helped them and so many others in life. It’s known that Ultima will spend her last days of life with the family. The settling of the novel begins with the family living in the outskirts of the town of Guadalupe, yet it’s known that when …show more content…
She is known to have helped many people with her abilities. She collects herbs and plants for her medicines, and it’s known from the first chapter that she aided Antonio’s mother for all six of her pregnancies. She has both physical and “magical” abilities that allow her to help others in need, I say magical because she knew what Antonio saw down in the river despite staying within the house. Yet, It’s known that Ultima is a curandera, not a witch. The Concern between Antonio’s future stemmed from what should have been done to his afterbirth; if the afterbirth was buried he would follow the ways of the valley people like his mother, yet if they were turned to ash and spread within the Illano he would be free like his forefathers. With time the conflict had come to whether Antonio would grow up to be a priest and help his people as his mother wanted, or become a vaquero and roam the lands freely like his father did. The only one who was the deciding factor in his parents’ conflict and knew Antonio’s future was Ultima though
The only pet that Ultima brought with her was an owl. It’s the same owl that use to scare Antonio and his sister’s when they heard it hooting at night. Yet Antonio now began to find the owl comforting as if the owl watched over him to protect