The Garza Sisters
The eldest of the five Garza sisters, who acts as the leader and protector on their journey across the border.
Who is Odilia?
The weeping spirit of Aztec folklore who appears to Odilia in a vision to give her a magical ear pendant and guide her on her quest.
Who is La Llorona?
The discovery of this in the Rio Grande river sets the entire plot of the sisters' journey into motion.
What is a dead body (Gabriel Pértez)?
The sacred item given to Odilia by La Llorona that protects the sisters from dark magic and evil creatures when they recite a prayer.
What is the ear pendant (or rosary/laurel pendant)?
The missing family member whose abandonment left Mamá working long hours to support the five girls alone.
Who is Papa?
The second-eldest sister whose stubbornness, quick temper, and obsession with the reward money often drive the sisters into danger.
Who is Velia?
The blind, witch-like woman who feeds the sisters sweet treats and uses dark magic to try and trap them in her home.
Who is Cecelia?
The Texas border town where the Garza family lives at the start of the novel.
What is Eagle Pass?
The vehicle the sisters use to transport the dead man's body across the border.
What is Papá's abandoned car (the beat-up Chevy impala/car)?
The wise grandmother whose home serves as a safe haven where the sisters finally find rest, healing, and truth.
Who is Abuelita Remedios?
The twin sister of Velia who shares her rebellious attitude and desires to spend the reward money on clothes and pop culture items.
Who is Delia?
The terrifying blood-sucking creature that attacks the sisters and blinds Pita during their journey.
Who is the Chupacabra?
The country the sisters enter without their mother's permission to return the drowned man's body to his family.
What is Mexico?
The soothing herbal tea brewed by Abuelita Remedios that helps heal the sisters' injuries and purge them of evil curses.
What is remedio (or herbal potion/teas)?
The main lesson La Llorona teaches Odilia about her sisters, emphasizing that they must stay together like this ancient Aztec concept.
What is El Cinco de las Hermanas (The Sisterhood / five strands of a braid)?
The youngest and most innocent of the five sisters, who carries a stuffed animal named Sr. Woofington.
Who is Pita?
The owl-like witch (or lechuza) sent by Cecilia to haunt, torment, and trick the sisters on the road.
Who is the Lechuza?
The town in Mexico where the sisters travel to visit their estranged Abuelita Remedios.
What is Coahuila (or Hacienda de Padrino)?
The document found in Gabriel Pértez's wallet that allows the sisters to identify him and locate his home address.
What is his driver's license (or identification card)?
The heartbreaking truth the sisters discover about their father when he finally resurfaces at the end of the book.
What is that he has started a new family (and wants to sell their home)?
The middle sister who acts as the peacemaker, often using her knowledge of nature, herbs, and songs to soothe tensions.
Who is Juanita?
The half-donkey, half-human creature that tricks travelers and serves as a warning about deceptive appearances.
Who is the Nagual?
The creature that guides the sisters along their road trip, symbolizing transformation, ancestral connection, and protection.
What are mariposas (monarch butterflies)?
The specific Mexican ballad style that Juanita sings, reflecting the traditional storytelling culture of their heritage.
What is a corrido?
The classical epic poem by Homer that Summer of the Mariposas modernizes through a Latina feminist lens.
What is The Oddysey?