Summer of the Mariposas

Guadalupe Garcia McCall

67 pages 2-hour read

Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Summer of the Mariposas

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Odilia is the eldest of the five Garza sisters. She feels a deep sense of responsibility for her siblings following her father's departure from the family. While her mother works long hours at a diner to make ends meet, Odilia steps into a maternal and disciplinary role. Though she initially opposes the plan to transport a dead body to Mexico, her protective instincts compel her to join the journey and ensure her sisters' safety.

Key Relationships

Eldest daughter of Mamá

Eldest daughter of Ernesto

Older sister of Juanita Garza

Older sister of Delia Garza

Older sister of Velia Garza

Older sister of Pita Garza

Spiritually guided by La Llorona

Spiritually connected to Tonantzin

Juanita is the headstrong fourteen-year-old second-eldest Garza sister. She views herself as the intellectual of the group and actively challenges Odilia's authority at home. It is her community-minded awareness of border politics that initiates the sisters' quest to return a drowned man to his family in Mexico rather than calling the authorities.

Key Relationships

Younger sister of Odilia Garza

Older sister of Delia Garza

Older sister of Velia Garza

Older sister of Pita Garza

Daughter of Mamá

Daughter of Ernesto

The mother of the five Garza sisters. Following her husband's departure, she is forced to abandon her role as a housewife and take a demanding job at a local diner to support her family financially. Her long working hours leave her daughters unsupervised and initially resentful, though she makes immense personal sacrifices to provide for them.

Key Relationships

Mother of Odilia Garza

Mother of Juanita Garza

Mother of Delia Garza

Mother of Velia Garza

Mother of Pita Garza

Estranged wife of Ernesto

Investigated by Special Agent Gonzales

A legendary figure from Mexican folklore, traditionally known as the Weeping Woman. In this story, she appears as a misunderstood spirit who acts as a supernatural guide for the Garza sisters. She provides Odilia with magical protection and tasks the girls with a mission to heal their fractured family.

Key Relationships

Spiritual guide to Odilia Garza

Spiritually connected to Tonantzin

The Aztec mother goddess of fertility and the earth. She is a divine, protective force deeply tied to the Garza sisters' indigenous Mexican heritage. She offers profound spiritual guidance and expects her descendants to honor their cultural lineage while showing solidarity with other women.

Key Relationships

Divine protector of Odilia Garza

Divine protector of La Llorona

Authority over Ixtali

Supporting Characters

Delia is one of the middle Garza sisters and Velia's identical twin. She has a conventionally beautiful appearance and an energetic disposition, though she frequently exhibits vanity. Despite her high-maintenance tendencies, she possesses a fierce energy that surfaces when her family faces danger on the road.

Key Relationships

Twin sister of Velia Garza

Younger sister of Odilia Garza

Younger sister of Juanita Garza

Older sister of Pita Garza

Daughter of Mamá

Daughter of Ernesto

Velia is the other middle Garza sister, identical in energy and vanity to her twin Delia. Like her sister, she can be hot-tempered and demanding regarding her personal comfort. She learns to use her strong will to support her siblings when they embark on their cross-border journey.

Key Relationships

Twin sister of Delia Garza

Younger sister of Odilia Garza

Younger sister of Juanita Garza

Older sister of Pita Garza

Daughter of Mamá

Daughter of Ernesto

Pita is the youngest of the five Garza sisters. Often coddled and frequently teased by her older siblings, she initially struggles with the physical and emotional demands of their sudden cross-border journey. Her youth makes her vulnerable, but she is forced to mature as the sisters face various challenges on the road.

Key Relationships

Younger sister of Odilia Garza

Younger sister of Juanita Garza

Younger sister of Delia Garza

Younger sister of Velia Garza

Daughter of Mamá

Daughter of Ernesto

The father of the Garza sisters. His sudden disappearance from the family home leaves his wife and five daughters struggling emotionally and financially. Finding out the truth about his departure is a strong secondary motivation for the sisters' journey into Mexico.

Key Relationships

Estranged husband of Mamá

Father of Odilia Garza

Father of Juanita Garza

Father of Delia Garza

Father of Velia Garza

Father of Pita Garza

Son of Abuelita Remedios

The paternal grandmother of the Garza sisters, living in Mexico. She is a wise, caring matriarch who provides a physical and emotional haven for the girls during their arduous journey. She offers traditional remedies and grounded truths regarding her son's abandonment.

Key Relationships

Mother of Ernesto

Grandmother of Odilia Garza

Grandmother of Juanita Garza

Grandmother of Delia Garza

Grandmother of Velia Garza

Grandmother of Pita Garza

A Mexican man whose drowned corpse washes up in the Garza sisters' swimming hole. The discovery of his body, along with a wallet containing money and an address, acts as the catalyst for the sisters' journey across the border to return him to his family.

Key Relationships

Deceased husband of Inés

Deceased father of Efraín

Deceased father of Beatriz

Discovered by Odilia Garza

The widow of Gabriel Pérdido. She lives in the small town of El Sacrificio, Mexico, where she has been raising her children in her husband's prolonged absence. Her reaction to her husband's return reveals the deep emotional toll his life choices took on their family.

Key Relationships

Widow of Gabriel Pérdido

Mother of Efraín

Mother of Beatriz

The adult son of Gabriel Pérdido. The Garza sisters recognize him from an old photograph in Gabriel's wallet, but Efraín harbors intense anger toward his long-absent father.

Key Relationships

Son of Gabriel Pérdido

Son of Inés

Brother of Beatriz

The teenage daughter of Gabriel Pérdido. Her transition into womanhood is interrupted by the shocking return of her father's corpse, exposing the family's deep-seated trauma.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Gabriel Pérdido

Daughter of Inés

Sister of Efraín

A seemingly enchanting, generous blonde woman who offers the exhausted Garza sisters a luxurious place to rest and an abundance of sweet treats. However, her hospitable facade masks a profound loneliness and deeply manipulative intentions regarding her young guests.

Key Relationships

Target of her manipulation Odilia Garza

Known to Teresita

A hunched, bald seer who lives on a hill in Mexico. Despite her unsettling appearance, she is sincerely generous and uses her cards to foresee the dangers that lie ahead for the Garza sisters, offering them crucial advice for survival.

Key Relationships

Provides prophecies to Odilia Garza

Familiar with her curses Cecilia

A warlock who uses deceptive disguises to lure unsuspecting travelers into his traps. He seeks to sacrifice the Garza sisters in a dark ritual to break a curse and gain immense magical power.

Key Relationships

Target of his dark magic Odilia Garza

A bedraggled twelve-year-old boy who offers to accompany the Garza sisters on the road. He claims to have lost an eye to a monster attack and takes a keen, unsettling interest in the youngest sister, Pita.

Key Relationships

Takes a specific interest in Pita Garza

Draws suspicion from Odilia Garza

A kind FBI agent involved in investigating the disappearance of the Garza sisters. He works closely with their mother during the crisis and continues to provide support to the family in the aftermath of their journey.

Key Relationships

Investigates her case and supports her Mamá

Helps safely process her return Odilia Garza

A native Mexican woman who acts as a mystical guide. She reinforces the importance of indigenous practices and helps the Garza sisters connect with their ancestral legacy by guiding them toward home.

Key Relationships

Follows her spiritual instructions Tonantzin

Mystical guide to Odilia Garza