Artemio is a wealthy, powerful, and corrupt 71-year-old Mexican politician and businessman. Born into poverty, he fought in the Mexican Revolution as a young idealist before prioritizing his own survival and amassing an empire through extortion, land grabs, and media manipulation. In his old age, he reflects on his choices, shifting between defiant self-justification and profound regret as his physical health rapidly deteriorates.

The daughter of a wealthy Puebla landowner, Catalina is forced into a loveless marriage with Artemio to save her family's failing estate. She resents her husband deeply but remains legally and socially bound to him, enduring decades of quiet bitterness. She hides her true emotions beneath a veneer of stoicism and upper-class decorum.

Regina is a young, devoted woman from the rural north of Mexico who becomes entangled with Artemio during his time as a revolutionary soldier. Despite the violent beginnings of their relationship, she immerses herself in a romanticized narrative of their love. She offers Artemio his only experience of genuine, uncalculated affection.

Artemio and Catalina's only son, Lorenzo serves as a foil to his father's later corruption. Raised in an environment of bitter marital spite, he develops a strong sense of idealism that drives him to seek purpose beyond his family's wealth. He eventually chooses to fight in the Spanish Civil War.

An idealistic but deeply disillusioned soldier from a wealthy, aristocratic family in Puebla. Gonzalo joined the revolution with high hopes but eventually realizes that all factions fight for self-interest rather than true justice. His conversations in prison profoundly influence Artemio's worldview.

An aging, wealthy landowner who represents the old Mexican aristocracy. Though rich in land, Gamaliel finds himself financially struggling and heavily in debt following peasant strikes. He is willing to sacrifice his daughter's happiness to secure the family's financial future.

Artemio and Catalina's only daughter, Teresa shares a strained, distant relationship with her father. Sent away to boarding school as a child to spite her mother, she grows up to mirror her father's transactional nature, viewing him primarily as a source of inheritance.

Artemio's lifelong secretary, trusted aide, and the executor of his estate. Padilla is coldly efficient and unwaveringly loyal, managing the logistical details of Artemio's sprawling business empire and remaining by his side during his final days.

An enslaved peasant working on the Manchaca estate, Lunero serves as the only parental figure in young Artemio's life. He protects and raises the boy with quiet devotion, facing the constant threat of being sold away to another estate.

A much younger woman and former sex worker whom Artemio takes as a lover in his later years. She lives with him at his luxurious Cocuya estate but often complains of boredom, serving primarily as a status symbol that heightens Artemio's own anxieties about aging.

An upper-class woman who conducts a discreet affair with Artemio. Cultured and sophisticated, she enjoys classical music and fine art, but ultimately seeks a more permanent commitment from him.

A merciless lieutenant fighting for Pancho Villa's forces. Though aware that his faction is losing the war, he remains fiercely dedicated to his cause and employs harsh tactics against his prisoners.

The son of a wealthy colonel and the owner of a large farming estate in Cocuya. He represents the cruel and exploitative nature of the old aristocratic system in pre-revolution Mexico.

The aging widow of Colonel Manchaca. Isolated and declining in influence, she rarely leaves the crumbling estate house, observing the decay of her family's former power and influence.

The dissolute, heavy-drinking son of Ludivinia. He poorly manages the failing Cocuya estate and relies heavily on the labor of his few remaining servants to maintain any semblance of order.

An enslaved Indigenous peasant who works on the Manchaca land. She suffers brutal exploitation at the hands of the landowners, representing the extreme victimization of the lower classes.

Artemio's young granddaughter, whose youth and vitality he admires from his deathbed.

An Indigenous assistant and soldier whose family was deprived of their land by the government. He is imprisoned alongside Artemio and Gonzalo Bernal.