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Pita
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 curandera—an herbal healer. Despite their close proximity, the Garza sisters have only visited her a few times in their lives; that the dead man lives so close to Abuelita seems like fate to the girls. In passing on her knowledge of herbal medicine to Odilia, Abuelita amplifies the theme of ancestor appreciation. Additionally, her reflections on Papá’s selfishness contribute to the novel’s discussion of male harm leading to female transformation.
Abuelita Remedios Quotes in Summer of the Mariposas
The Summer of the Mariposas quotes below are all either spoken by Abuelita Remedios or refer to Abuelita Remedios. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
“Don’t you see? There’s a reason we found him instead of the border patrol. He came looking for us because he knew we could help him. It’s not a coincidence that he’s from the same place as Papá.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You’re not making any sense.”
Juanita continued passionately. “Don’t you get it? We were meant to find him, so we could go see our abuelita in Mexico again. It was fate that brought him to us.”
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3
Quotes
“This is about all of you: your sisters, your parents, even your abuela,” La Llorona continued. “You must travel to the other side, into the land of your ancestors, to find each other again.”
Chapter 15
Quotes
“You mean he doesn’t love us anymore?” Pita asked.
“Would you? If you had us for daughters?” Delia asked Pita, looking at her sisters resentfully.
That’s when I realized the evil of what the lechuzas said about us. We had been bad, yes, but was what Papá did our fault? “Yes, I would still love us,” I said, angry with myself for not realizing the twins had been blaming themselves for Papá’s absence all this time. “The way I see it, we didn’t fail Papá, he failed us. He’s the adult here.”
“Sometimes, men leave, for whatever reason,” Abuelita continued. “Nothing you did or could have done differently would have changed that. So I want you to stop blaming yourselves or your Mamá for the choices your father has made. Instead, I want you to continue taking care of each other the way you’ve been doing so far. I’m so proud of you for standing up for your hermanitas against those evil creatures. I’m sure having to do that has taught you how important it is to stick together and love one another more than anything else in the world.”
Chapter 17
Quotes
“Tenochtitlan,” Abuelita said, looking in wonder at the great city looming over the swampy lake. “The Aztecs decided to build it here, on the lake, when they saw the sign—an eagle sitting on a cactus, eating a snake. It was the center of a great empire, the home of our ancestors.”
I watched Ixtali row and row, taking us away from the city. “Why are we so far from home?” I asked.
“This is the goddess’s gift to you,” she said. “A vision, to always remember who you are, where you came from, as you develop a better future.”
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Abuelita Remedios Quotes in Summer of the Mariposas
The Summer of the Mariposas quotes below are all either spoken by Abuelita Remedios or refer to Abuelita Remedios. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
“Don’t you see? There’s a reason we found him instead of the border patrol. He came looking for us because he knew we could help him. It’s not a coincidence that he’s from the same place as Papá.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You’re not making any sense.”
Juanita continued passionately. “Don’t you get it? We were meant to find him, so we could go see our abuelita in Mexico again. It was fate that brought him to us.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3
Quotes
“This is about all of you: your sisters, your parents, even your abuela,” La Llorona continued. “You must travel to the other side, into the land of your ancestors, to find each other again.”
Chapter 15
Quotes
“You mean he doesn’t love us anymore?” Pita asked.
“Would you? If you had us for daughters?” Delia asked Pita, looking at her sisters resentfully.
That’s when I realized the evil of what the lechuzas said about us. We had been bad, yes, but was what Papá did our fault? “Yes, I would still love us,” I said, angry with myself for not realizing the twins had been blaming themselves for Papá’s absence all this time. “The way I see it, we didn’t fail Papá, he failed us. He’s the adult here.”
“Sometimes, men leave, for whatever reason,” Abuelita continued. “Nothing you did or could have done differently would have changed that. So I want you to stop blaming yourselves or your Mamá for the choices your father has made. Instead, I want you to continue taking care of each other the way you’ve been doing so far. I’m so proud of you for standing up for your hermanitas against those evil creatures. I’m sure having to do that has taught you how important it is to stick together and love one another more than anything else in the world.”
Chapter 17
Quotes
“Tenochtitlan,” Abuelita said, looking in wonder at the great city looming over the swampy lake. “The Aztecs decided to build it here, on the lake, when they saw the sign—an eagle sitting on a cactus, eating a snake. It was the center of a great empire, the home of our ancestors.”
I watched Ixtali row and row, taking us away from the city. “Why are we so far from home?” I asked.
“This is the goddess’s gift to you,” she said. “A vision, to always remember who you are, where you came from, as you develop a better future.”
