“Thanks for coming,” I said, taking my hand out of his and turning away from him.
“Okay,” he whispered. Then, taking one last look around the yard, he turned around and walked away. As he disappeared behind the lime trees lining the side of our house, I stood trembling in my bare feet, wondering if we’d ever be close again, the way we were before he’d abandoned us.
Juanita came up behind me. She stood silently beside me, looking past the trees and shrubs at the lone figure of a man moving away from our house, crossing the street, and finally driving away in his car.
“And he didn’t even bring a present,” Juanita lamented. She put her arms around me protectively and leaned in to kiss my cheek.
“He did,” I said, swallowing my tears. Her warmth engulfed me. “You just can’t see it.”
I turned around and looked for Mamá. She wasn’t dancing anymore. She was standing across the yard pulling the twins and Pita into her arms and laughing at something. It was at that very moment that I knew with certainty we would always be one, together forever, protecting our loved ones, braving the wind and illuminating the sky.
THE END
AUTHOR'S
NOTE
I have always been fascinated by the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors, the Aztecas. Their culture, their scientific observations, their religion, their architecture, their language, their myths and legends — everything about them is extraordinary. I wanted to write a story that brought all the magic and wonder of my ancestors to my readers. I wrote Summer of the Mariposas with the intention of showcasing both our modern and ancient mitos y leyendas by juxtaposing them against one of the greatest stories ever told, The Odyssey.
People ask me why I chose the horrible, much-feared La Llorona to be the mystical mentor or spiritual guide for my beloved girls. I think it’s because I’ve always believed La Llorona to be much maligned, and in a sense I wanted to show her in a positive light.
I think of La Llorona in all her various mythological and legendary forms, and I feel sorry for her. As Malitzin, the Aztec slave girl given to Hernán Cortés, I find her to be one of our culture’s most controversial and misunderstood historical figures. Legend says that when she became Cortés’s interpreter and mistress she caused the fall of Tenochtitlan, and so the people refused to call her by her given name and began to refer to her as Malinche, the traitor.
However, while some defame Malitzin, she is celebrated by others. They see her as a savior, the founder of Mexico, for without her assistance Hernán Cortés would never have defeated the indigenous tribes of Mexico and given birth to a new nation. Malitzin’s son by Cortés, Don Martín, was one of the first Mestizos born in Mexico.
Over the years, history and legend blended and the truth became blurred and smudged, but somewhere along the way Malitzin became associated with the mythological figure La Llorona. According to the stories, Cortés left Mexico to go back to court. There he became enamored of and engaged to a Spanish noblewoman, so he returned to Mexico to retrieve his children. It was that treacherous act that supposedly sent Malinche into such a rage as to take her two children and drown them in the river to spite Cortés.
Somehow, I find that too abhorrent an act for any mother to carry through. I’d like to believe that something else happened, something horrible and unexpected and completely out of her hands. Why else would she refuse to rest, to wail an eternal penance, to look for her children for centuries? Why would she lose herself in her pain if she was anything but innocent? I think it was just easy for people to villainize Malitzin and believe her capable of killing her own children because she was so detested.
However, by presenting Malitzin in a modern setting, I am giving her the occasion to tell “her side” of the story, to make us look into her heart and know that a mother’s love is pure, not selfish or malignant. Using La Llorona as a mystical guide afforded me the opportunity to redeem her. After all, as parents, we all make mistakes and we all deserve a chance to make things right, much like Mamá does at the end of this book when she transforms herself.
Above all else, I wrote this story because I wanted to celebrate the extraordinary bond between children and their mamás. Mothers are very important. They have a special place en mi corazón.
Mothers are for love.
GLOSSARY
abuelita (ah-bweh-LEE-tah): affectionate form of abuela (“grandmother”), similar to “grandma”
aduana (ah-DWAH-nah): customs station at the United States entrance of a Mexican border town
agua (AH-gwah): water
agua bendita (ah-gwah behn-DEE-tah): holy water
agua de tamarindo (AH-gwah de tah-mah-REEN-doh): cold drink made from the tamarind plant
aguas frescas (AH-gwahs FREHS-kahs): cool drinks made from fresh fruit juices
águila (AH-gee-lah): eagle
ahora (ah-O-rah): now or today
aire (AY-reh): air
al (ahl): to the
alacrán (ah-lah-KRAHN): scorpion
amigo (ah-ME-go): friend
Aramés, aramás, todavía nadamás, ven aquí, ven acá, aire frío, aire mío, hazlas mías, cinco hermanitas, cinco estrellitas, serán mías, aramés, arams: nonsensical phrases created to sound like a convoluted, mysterious spell, translated as: “Arames, aramas, already nothing, come here, come there, cold air, air of mine, make them mine, five little sisters, five little stars, will be mine, arames, aramas.”
araña (ah-RAH-nyah): spider
árbol (AHR-bol): tree
argolla (ahr-GO-yah): earring
arrepiéntanse (ah-rreh-pee-EHN-tahn-seh): repent
atarántala (ah-tah-RAHN-tah-lah): stun [her]
Ave María (AH-veh mah-REE-ah): Holy Mary
Ay (ay): Oh
Ay María Purísima (Ay mah-REE-ah poo-REE-see-mah): Oh, purest Holy Mary
“¡Ay mis hijos!” (aye mees EE-hos): a saying credited to the mythological La Llorona, “Woe to my children!”
Aztecas (ahs-THE-kah): the Aztecs
babas (BAH-bahs): slobbering fool
bebito (beh-BEE-toh): baby
bendita (behn-DEE-tah): holy
bien (bee-ehn): good, well, or very
bien águila (bee-ehn AH-gee-lah): very smart, clever
bobo (bo-bo): dummy
borracho [as in borracho beans] (bo-RRAH-cho): drunk [here: pinto beans cooked with beer]
bruja/brujo (BROO-hah/ BROO-ho): witch/warlock
buen/buena/bueno (boo-EHN) (boo-EH-nah) (boo-EH-noh): good
buenas noches (boo-EHN-ahs NO-chehs): good night
buenos días (boo-EHN-ohs DEE-ahs): good morning, good day
bulto (BOOL-to): [here] a bundle, bulk, shape, shadow, a piece of luggage
cabeza (cah-BEH-sah): head
cabrito (cah-BREE-to): a young goat cooked in a ground pit
caca (CAH-kah): feces, excrement
cada (CAH-dah): every
caiga (CAY-gah): fall
calabacita (cah-lah-bah-SEE-tah): squash [here: zucchini]
calabaza (cah-lah-BAH-sah): squash [here slang: pumpkin-heads, dummies]
calavera (cah-lah-VEH-rah): skull
cállate (CAH-yah-teh): be quiet
cálmate (CAHL-mah-the): settle down
campechana (kahm-peh-CHAH-nah): flaky, buttery, honey-glazed sweet bread
canícula (cah-NEE-koo-lah): dog days of summer
cantor (cahn-TOR): singer, also one who calls out the Lotería cards as they are drawn in the game
canto (CAHN-to): song, melody
caso (CAH-so): consideration, concern
cazo (CAH-so): cooking pot
cerro (SEH-rro): hill
chambelán (chahm-beh-LAHN): male escorting a femal
e attendant at a quinceañera
chanclas (CHAHN-klahs): sandals
chaparrón (chah-pah-RRON): rain
chalupa (chah-LOO-pah): a canoe or small rowing boat
chalupita (chah-loo-PEE-tah): a small canoe, small rowing boat
chiflada (chee-FLAH-dah): spoiled brat
chilaquiles (chee-lah-KEE-lehs): breakfast food made with pieces of corn tortilla, eggs, and other savory ingredients: usually tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers (chiles)
chiles (CHEE-lehs): hot peppers
chinampa (chee-NAHM-pah) man-made island, commonly used during Aztec times on Lake Texcoco to grow crops
chinchontle (cheen-CHON-tleh): fictitious plant used to sedate Odilia and her sisters
chiquito (chee-KEE-to): little one, child
chismosa (cheez-MOH-sah): person fond of gossiping
chupacabras (choo-pah-KAH-brahs): mythological creature from Mexican folklore said to kill goats and other farm animals by sucking their blood
cielo (see-EH-loh): sky
Cihuacóatl (see-wah-CO-ahtl) [Nahuatl]: Aztec Mother Goddess, goddess of motherhood and fertility as well as midwives.
cinco hermanitas (SEEN-koh ehr-mah-NEE-tahs): five little sisters
claro que sí (CLAH-ro keh SEE): of course, yes
clínica (CLEE-nee-kah): clinic, medical center
cluecas (cloo-EH-cahs): brooding, slang for agitated or nervous
cola (CO-lah): tail
comadre (co-MAH-dreh): girlfriend, godparent
comercio (co-MEHR-see-oh): store
como (CO-mo): like
compadre (com-PAH-dreh): close male friend, sometimes also godfather
con (con): with
cóndor (CON-dor): condor, large vulture
corazón (co-rah-SOHN): heart
Corazón Salvaje (co-rah-SOHN sahl-VAH-heh): the title of a popular Mexican soap opera which has been remade several times, most recently in 2009
coyote (co-YO-teh): coyote
cuando (coo-AHN-doh): when
cuatita (kwah-TEE-tah): twin girl
cueva (coo-EH-vah): cave
cumbia (COOM-bee-ah): a type of dance with Colombian roots, often played at quiceañeras and other events where dancing is part of the celebration
cumpleaños (coom-pleh-AH-nyos): birthday
curandera (coo-rahn-DEH-rah): healer, especially one who uses medicinal herbs (feminine form)
dama (DAH-mah): lady, title given to a girl who is part of the royal court in a quinceañera’s celebration.
dan (dahn): give
de (deh): of
del (dehl): of the
dejes (DEH-hehs): allow (past tense)
demonias (deh-MO-nee-ahs): female demons, slang for “brats”
desaparecida (deh-sah-pah-reh-SEE-dah): those who have disappeared (feminine)
descuidada (dehs-coo-ee-DAH-dah): neglectful
desprendió (dehs-prehn-dee-OH): detached
diablito (dee-ah-BLEE-to): little devil
diablo (dee-AH-blo): devil
días (DEE-ahs): days
diles (DEE-lehs): tell them
Dios (dee-ohs): God
Dios Santísimo (dee-ohs sahn-TEE-see-mo): Holy Father
dorada (doh-RAH-dah): golden
egoísta (eh-go-EES-tah): selfish, egotistical
ejido (eh-HEE-doh): a system of communal or cooperative farming
El Sacrificio (ehl sah-kree-FEE-see-oh): a small town in Coahuila, Mexico, off Hwy 57
El Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (ehl sahn-too-AH-ree-oh deh NWEHS-trah seh-NYO-rah deh gwah-dah-LOO-peh): Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Catholic church in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico
enchilada (en-chee-LAH-dah): rolled tortilla filled with cheese and sometimes beef or chicken and baked covered in red chili sauce
en su gloria (ehn soo GLO-ree-ah): in all her splendor/glory
es (ehs): is
escalera (ehs-cah-LEH-rah): ladder
escuincles (ehs-QUEEN-klehs): from Nahuatl itzcuintli (“dog”), meaning little kid
está (ehs-TAH): is (refers to the speaker’s observation or perception of how something looks, feels, tastes, etc.)
Estados Unidos (ehs-TAH-dos oo-NEE-dohs): the United States (of America)
estás (ehs-TAHS): you are
estrella (ehs-TREH-yah): star
estrellita (ehs-treh-YEE-tah): little star
fajita (fah-HEE-tah): skirt steak, usually grilled
fantasma (fahn-TAHS-mah): phantom
farmacia (fahr-MAH-see-ah): pharmacy
Federales (feh-deh-RAH-lehs): Federal officers
feliz cumpleaños (feh-LEES coom-pleh-AH-nyos): happy birthday
fideo (fee-DEH-oh): vermicelli noodles cooked with chicken broth and salsa, Mexican style
fiesta (fee-EHS-tah): party, celebration
frontera (fron-TEH-rah): border
gallina (gah-YEE-nah): hen
gracias (GRAH-see-ahs): thank you
greñas (GREH-nyahs): hair
guacamole (gwah-kah-MO-leh): avocado dip made with salsa and lime
guapo (GWAH-poh): handsome
guato (GWAH-toh): outburst, fit, making a show
Hacienda Dorada (ah-see-EHN-dah do-RAH-dah): Abuelita Remedios’s fictitious ranch in the woods beyond El Sacrificio, Coahuila, Mexico
hago (AH-go): (I) make
hija (EE-hah): daughter
hijo (EE-ho): son
horchata (orr-CHAH-tah): cold drink made with rice, barley, sesame seeds, and almonds
hormiguita (orr-mee-GEE-tah): little ant
huisache (wee-SAH-cheh): short, thorny tree with fernlike fronds, similar to mesquites
Huitzilopochtli (weet-see-lo-POCHT-lee) [Nahuatl]: solar Aztec god, the wizard god
jabalina (hah-bah-LEE-nah): peccary, javelina, skunk hog
jaras (HAH-rahs): arrows
jícama (HE-kah-mah): the spherical, elongated taproot of a yam bean
jojotle (ho-HO-tleh): fictitious medicinal remedy for grogginess or drug overdose
la aurora (lah ah-oo-RO-rah): the dawn
La Laguna de Texcoco (lah lah-GOO-nah deh tehx-CO-co): Texcoco Lake, Mexico City, Mexico
La Llorona (lah yo-RO-nah): the “Weeping Woman,” a legendary character whose eternal penance for having drowned her children is to try to find them, said to carry off children who misbehave
La Sirena (lah see-REH-nah): the siren or mermaid
lechuzas (leh-CHOO-sahs): barn owls, or in Mexican folklore, mythological creatures said to have the body of a bird and the face of a witch, believed to punish evildoers
levantan (leh-VAHN-tan): awaken
limosnas (lee-MOS-nahs): money attained from begging
limosnera (lee-mos-NEH-rah): beggar, street urchin
llores (YO-rehs): cry
llueva (yoo-EH-vah): to rain
Lotería (lo-teh-REE-ah): a popular board game in Mexico, played with individual game boards called tablas and calling cards with images like La Sirena, the Siren.
Lupita (loo-PEE-tah): nickname for Guadalupe
¡Madre de Dios! (MAH-dreh deh dee-os): exclamation, Mother of God!
mal aire (mahl AY-reh): bad air
malas (MAH-lahs): bad
malcriadas (mahl-cree-AH-dahs): spoiled
Malitzin [also known as Malinche] (mah-LEEN-tzeen): Aztec Princess who betrayed her people and handed over the Aztec kingdom to the Spanish Conquistador, Hernán Cortés
Mamá (mah-MAH): Mom
mamita (mah-MEE-tah): slang, little sister
mariposa (mah-ree-POH-sah): butterfly
m
arranito (mah-rrah-NEE-toh): dense pastry shaped like a piglet made with sweet molasses and spices
mecate (meh-CAH-teh): rope
mía/mío (MEE-ah/MEE-oh): mine
migra (MEE-grah): slang, border patrol
m’ija/m’ijita(MEE-hah/mee-HEE-tah): term of endearment meaning “beloved daughter”
milenrama (meel-ehn-RRAH-mah): yarrow (or acquilea, after Achilles), an herb used to heal wounds and hemorrhaging
mira (MEE-rah): see
mis (MEES): my
mojarra (mo-HAH-rrah): perch
molcajete (mol-kah-HEH-teh): mortar
mole (MOH-leh): rich brown sauce made of chili peppers, spices, chocolate, and peanut butter, usually served with chicken or turkey
molino (mo-LEE-no): windmill
Monclova (mon-CLO-vah): city in Coahuila, Mexico, off Hwy 57
moño (MO-nyo): a bow
mordida (mor-DEE-dah): bite
muchachita (moo-chah-CHEE-tah): little or young girl
mujer (moo-HEHR): woman
mundo (MOON-do): world
muñeca (moo-NYEH-kah): doll
músico (MOO-see-co): musician
muy (MOO-ee): a lot, much
nagual (NAH-goo-ahl): warlock
nietecita (nee-eh-teh-SEE-tah): little granddaughter
niña (NEE-nyah): little girl
Niño Fidencio (NEE-nyo fee-DEHN-see-oh): a famous Mexican healer, a folk saint, unrecognized by the Catholic Church
nopal (no-PAHL): cactus
nuestro (noo-EHS-tro): our
Nueva Rosita (noo-EH-vah rro-SEE-tah): A village in Coahuila, Mexico, along Hwy 57
ojito (o-HEE-to): slang for a stream or creek
Padre Nuestro (PAH-dreh noo-EHS-tro): Our Father, prayer
pajarillo (pah-hah-REE-yo): little bird
pájaro (PAH-hah-ro): bird
paliza (pah-LEE-sah): beating
paloma (pah-LO-mah): dove
Pancho Villa (PAHN-cho VEE-yah): famous Mexican revolutionary who led the Northern division in Chihuahua during the Mexican Revolution
Papá (pah-PAH): father
para (PAH-rah): for
pasar (pah-SAHR): to pass
pequeña (peh-KEH-nyah): little
Pérdido (PEHR-dee-do): a play on the pronunciation of the word perdido, meaning “lost”
Summer of the Mariposas Page 27