Summer of the Mariposas Character Analysis

Odilia

Odilia is a 15-year-old Mexican American girl who lives in Eagle Pass, Texas with her Mamá and five younger sisters: Juanita, Velia, Delia, and Pita. A year before the novel begins… read analysis of Odilia

Mamá

Mamá is a Mexican American woman with Aztec lineage living in Eagle Pass, Texas. She is the mother of Odilia, Juanita, Velia, Delia, and Pita. Since her husband, Papá… read analysis of Mamá

La Llorona

La Llorona is a ghostly woman cursed to wander the banks of the Rio Grande, searching for her drowned children. She appears to Odilia near the riverbank and acts as the sisters’ guide throughout their… read analysis of La Llorona

Tonantzin (La Virgen)

Tonantzin is a maternal Aztec goddess, also known by her Christianized title, La Virgen de Guadalupe. She sends La Llorona to speak with Odilia about how she and her sisters must go to Mexico, the… read analysis of Tonantzin (La Virgen)

Papá

Papá is a Mexican American man and musician. He is the father of Odilia, Juanita, Velia, Delia, and Pita, and he’s married to Mamá. Papá leaves the family a… read analysis of Papá

Juanita

Juanita is a 14-year-old Mexican American girl. She is the second eldest daughter of Mamá and Papá, and the sister of Odilia, Velia, Delia, and Pita. Juanita is characterized as… read analysis of Juanita

Velia

Velia is a 13-year-old Mexican American girl. She is Delia’s twin, the daughter of Mamá and Papá, and the sister of Odilia, Juanita, and Pita. Velia, like her twin, is… read analysis of Velia

Delia

Delia is a 13-year-old Mexican American girl. She is Velia’s twin, the daughter of Mamá and Papá, and the sister of Odilia, Juanita, and Pita. Like her twin, Delia speaks… read analysis of Delia

Pita

Pita is the youngest sister of Odilia, Juanita, Velia, and Delia, and the daughter of Mamá and Papá. Pita’s baby fat is often used to emphasize her youth, and she… read analysis of Pita

Abuelita Remedios

Abuelita Remedios is Papá’s mother, the paternal grandmother of Odilia, Juanita, Velia, Delia, and Pita. She lives in Hacienda Dorada, near El Sacrificio, Mexico, where she works as a… read analysis of Abuelita Remedios

The Dead Man (Gabriel Pérdido)

The dead man is a Mexican man named Gabriel Pérdido, whose appearance in the Garza sisters’ swimming hole on the banks of the Rio Grande catalyzes their odyssey to Mexico. He is the husband of… read analysis of The Dead Man (Gabriel Pérdido)

Cecilia

Cecilia is an ancient sorceress who appears to the Garza sisters disguised as a young, beautiful widow who lives in a sprawling mansion. Cursed by the ancient ones to pay for her husband’s transgressions, Cecilia… read analysis of Cecilia

Teresita

Teresita is a blind seer who lives in the hills near Cecilia’s house with her husband. She provides the Garza sisters with prophetic insight, warning them of the monstrous difficulties they will face on… read analysis of Teresita

Nagual

The nagual is a crafty warlock sent by Cecilia to punish the Garza sisters for insulting her. He appears to the girls disguised as a donkey, manipulating Pita’s childlike trust and leading them to… read analysis of Nagual

Lechuzas

The lechuzas are a group of witch owls sent by Cecilia to attack the Garza sisters for wounding her pride. They are as large as vultures with shriveled human faces and scraggly hair. The lechuzas… read analysis of Lechuzas

El Chupacabras (Chencho)

El chupacabras is a wild beast with a ridge of prickly hair along its back. Teresita’s husband warns the Garzas that he wounded el chupacabras through its eye but that they should not show it… read analysis of El Chupacabras (Chencho)

Sarai

Sarai is Papá’s mistress and the mother of Alison and Ashley, who tries to move into the Garza household and replace Mamá. She is la Sirena (the Mermaid) to whom Papá alludes… read analysis of Sarai

Minor Characters

Teresita’s Husband

Teresita’s husband lives with Teresita in the hills near Cecilia’s house. He claims to have encountered and wounded el chupacabras, and he implores the Garza sisters to show the creature no mercy.

Special Agent Gonzales

Special Agent Gonzales is a Mexican American FBI agent investigating the Garza sisters’ disappearance. When they are found, he is compassionate and helpful toward Mamá, facilitating her interactions with Child Protection Services and the press. Special Agent Gonzales and Mamá are romantically partnered at the end of the novel.

Inés

Inés is the wife of the dead man (Gabriel Pérdido), and the mother of Beatriz and Efraín. She shows the Garza sisters generous hospitality but is clearly broken by the circumstances of her husband’s abandonment and death.

Beatriz

Beatriz is the daughter of the dead man (Gabriel Pérdido) and Inés, and the sister of Efraín. The Garza sisters deliver her absent father’s body in the middle of her quinceañera, ruining the party.

Efraín

Efraín is the son of the dead man (Gabriel Pérdido) and Inés, and the brother of Beatriz. His absent father’s untimely return at Beatriz’s quinceañera infuriates him.

Alison and Ashley

Alison and Ashley are the daughters of Sarai, making them Papá’s soon-to-be stepdaughters. They try to move into the Garza household, specifically Velia and Delia’s room. With their mother, Alison and Ashley parallel the remorseless suitors in Homer’s Odyssey.

Ixtali

Ixtali is a young Aztec woman who ferries Odilia, Juanita, Velia, Delia, Pita, and Abuelita Remedios to their respective homes in the real world after their meeting with Tonantzin.