Between the Lines: A Critical Perspective of Failure and the Formation of Identity in Bless Me, Ultima PDF Free Download
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Between the Lines: A Critical Perspective of Failure and the Formation of Identity in Bless Me,
Ultima
As seen by many, failure is an aspect of life that should be actively avoided at all costs.
Although it is inevitable and natural, many still do not desire to see themselves or things they are
involved in experiencing any sort of failure. This refusal or fear of failure extends into other
aspects of life, such as in the formation of and acceptance into specific identities, groups and
communities meant to provide a sense of belonging at different moments in life.
It is through the inability, or failure, to achieve full acceptance that I see the emergence of
a greater consciousness. That is to say, an individual is able to have a better understanding of
their position within the world and oneself as complex and multifaceted in their inability to
belong to any one group. Thus, in my paper, I am interested in exploring how it is through these
social “failures” that we see attempts to fix or reconcile differences. I see this reconciliation as
particularly important for marginalized communities in the United States who in the eyes of the
nation-state failed to be recognized as full members. I see activist work like that of the Chicano
movement as responding to that “failure” through resistance, activism, and self-affirmation. It is
this response that I see as reflected in the work of Chicano writer Rudolfo Anaya who tackles the
failure to conform to Mexican or American identity in his work Bless Me, Ultima (1972).
In this paper, I explore the formation of Chicano identity within a Mexican American
community in New Mexico through Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima. I read the novel as an example of
a work that seeks to make the irreconcilable reconcilable and attempts to bridge this gap between
two conflicting cultural ideologies. I argue that Anaya’s novel uses a concept of “failure,” both a
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failure that the protagonist faces from larger society, and a failure on behalf of the protagonist to
those around him, as a way to occupy a space of reconciliation.
I open by looking at the differences between Mexican American and Chicano identity. I
discuss the emergence of the terms and their usage by the community it seeks to describe. After
this, I move onto discussing Chicano activism and the subsequent Chicano literary movement
that emerged during this time. It is here that I locate and contextualize Rudolfo Anaya and his
novel, Bless Me, Ultima, within a broader Mexican American literary history. To this end, I
explain the conditions in which he was writing and how they influenced both his style and
subject matter.
From there, I move onto an analysis of Bless Me, Ultima that reflects the questioning of
identity that the Chicano community was undergoing during this period of time. I specifically
dive deeper into one of the major contrasting ideas of the novel by looking at Spanish
colonialism and Catholicism as it is put against an Indigenous cultural and religious tradition. I
describe the historical setting of Spanish colonialism within New Mexico and how colonial
practices led to the subjugation and denial of Indigenous heritage. As it underscores the
beginnings of a cultural divide between those of white European descent and those of mixed
Indigenous descent, all through the enforcement of conversion to Catholicism and banning of
pagan religions.
I turn to the work of Gloria Anzaldúa on borderlands theory to read Bless Me, Ultima as
an example of a thirdspace that Antonio metaphorically occupies to hold and work through two
opposing identities. Anaya’s own work can be situated within this space, as the protagonist often
finds himself caught between two worlds. From Anzaldúa’s borderlands argument, I contend that
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she and Anaya stress the acknowledgment of religious syncretism and a blending of cultures that
had been ignored earlier in the Chicano movement in favor of promoting a separatist national
body. I end by discussing how despite objections by critics, Anaya’s text is a political work that
discusses how the failure to occupy one identity instead opens up the possibility of finding other
ways of belonging that does not exclude either aspect of Mexican American identity. The end of
Bless Me, Ultima looks towards a future that refuses to choose between one identity and another,
rather it blends them together and focuses on its unification.
How Do You Identify
In this paper, I will use terms such as Chicano/a/x or Mexican American interchangeably
when referencing someone who is of Mexican descent. While Mexican American and Hispanic
are also used by those of Mexican descent, they are also considered to work alongside a
census-based identity, a box to tick for the government. Moreover, there has been push back
specifically in relation to Hispanic as it refers to Spanish-speaking countries that include the
colonizer of many Latin American countries: Spain. On account of this interwoven connection
with colonialism, the term Hispanic is less popular, especially as an umbrella term for
Chicanos/xs/és. These different terms reflect how the community views not only itself, but its
relation to white supremacist systems seeking to establish a racial hierarchy. In addition, there
are other terms that have been used in tandem with Chicano, like the identity of Latino which
signifies someone who is broadly from a Latin American country. This term does not operate
within the same political framework as Chicano, nor does it represent a census based identity, but
more reflects the communities desire to shift away from the term Hispanic.
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The other term that I will be using interchangeably with Mexican American is Chicano.
Chicano stems from the word Mexicano, where the Nahuatl languages features the x creating a
“shi” sound, so the “me” sound was dropped and became Xicano (Contreras, 33). From there it
turned to Chicano, Chicanca, and more recently Chicanx. The use of the Nahuatl linguistic sound
is meant to serve as cultural reclamation as it was the language that the Aztec people spoke
before the Spanairds colonized the land and forced the Spanish language on its population; or
even before the United States government took land from Mexico and began to enforce the
English language upon them. The identity stems from an indigenous heritage and reflects this
recovery of culture.
This term gained popularity during the 1960’s where the Chicano movement and from the
East LA Blowouts, where Mexican American students walked out and protested over unfair
educational practices. It was during this movement that Chicano took on this politicalization, for
to be Chicano meant to be a part of the fight for equal rights and to reject assimilation by
promoting a Chicano community. Some theories also suggest that this term originated from a
derogatory name for Mexican Americans that was reclaimed by the community as a form of
empowerment. Regardless of its origin, the intention of the identity as a political and counter
identity is clear. Chicano, as defined by scholar Sheila Maria Contreras, refers to “a gendered,
racial, ethnic, class, and cultural identity in opposition to Anglo-American hegemony and
state-sanctioned practices of representing people of Mexican descent in the United
States”(Contreras, 32) In other words, Chicano is defined as an inherently political identity with
the express purpose of asserting one’s Mexican heritage in opposition to a dominant Anglo
normative society.
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As well, contemporary scholars have begun replacing the -a and -o with an -x or -é, so
terms now look like Chicanx or Chicané, or to address those of Latin American origin in the US,
Latinx and Latiné. This is done in an attempt to move away from the gendered aspects of these
identities, to create an inclusive term that can include men, women, and everyone in between.
Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima was written during the Chicano Movement in the 1960s and
published in 1972, I will primarily use Mexican American when referring to someone of
Mexican descent. I will also be using Chicano when referring to someone who asserts this
specific political identity.
The Chicano Movement, Anaya, and the Emergence of a Chicano Literary Tradition
Indeed the 1960s were a time of massive social change within the United States, from
Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement to the Anti-War Movement. As with most
political movements, the Chicano movement or El Movimiento inspired and was inspired by
cultural work by, for, and about Chicanos. Thus arose a new Chicano literary movement that
used literature as a political action and a way to embrace their heritage and the new forming
Chicano identity. This tradition concerned itself with the question of what is a Chicano identity,
what exactly makes someone Chicano, and how can this be emulated in day-to-day life.
Characteristics of this new literary tradition included the incorporation of Spanish and the use of
Spanglish, or a combination of Spanish and English, in order to push this overarching theme of
heritage and roots instead of assimilation. Early literary journals, theater troupes such as El
Teatro Campesino, and works like Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal look towards establishing a
pride in one’s Mexican identity rather than conformity to a white identity.
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As well, there was an emphasis on a myth-making tradition and on the “myth of Aztlan”
during the Chicano literary movement. According to myth, Aztlan was the homeland that the
Aztec people left in order to establish what is modern day Mexico and was located in the
Southwest of the United States. Within the Chicano movement and tradition, Aztlan became a
prominent symbol for cultural unity and is synonymous with the territories given up in the Treaty
of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. Moreover, it became both a physical and an ideological representation of
what was taken and what should be restored.
The coming of age Chicano literary tradition is very similar to the classic bildungsroman
tradition, but with one key difference: it takes on the positionality of being from a marginalized
ethnic group. Often it is categorized as being a “novel of identity,” where the protagonist must
situate themselves within broader society while also coming from a place of their own inherent
identity–that being a racialized and ethnic identity–that is often on the outskirts or outside the
community they are trying to assert themselves in (Fernandez Olmos, 17). This differs from a
white protagonist that already operates inside of society, whereas a protagonist that operates on
the outside must overcome that barrier in addition to a classic coming of age story. So for authors
writing in this time, this coming of age genre is the perfect way to simulate the broader Chicanx
communities own search for identity that was happening in the real world.
One such author was Rudolfo Anaya through the novel, Bless Me, Ultima. Antonio was
able to stand-in for many other kids of Mexican descent, mirroring their search for identity both
within their own culture but also in the world that only sees stereotypes. Anaya was very well
known for his style of the bildungsroman that helped establish the Chicano Bildungsroman. He
implements the typical style of following a young protagonist with the help of a mentor figure to
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guide them towards becoming an adult, this can be seen through Ultima’s relationship with
Antonio and her role as his mentor. Along with this classic figure of the mentor who helps the
protagonist, Anaya also includes a lot of typical functions that can be found in Chicano literature
such as the addition of the Spanish language and the inclusion of traditional folk tales. As noted
by Mioduszewska Kinga Maria, Chicano literature is “indisputably connected with the oral
tradition of storytelling and with traditional cuentos (stories)” (Kinga Maria, 24). This can
absolutely describe how Anaya frames Bless Me, Ultima with his focus on traditional folk stories
as a backdrop, along with his emphasis on Antonio’s Mexican heritage and community helping
to shape his journey of identity.
Bildungsroman, also known as a coming of age novel, is another prominent feature of the
Chicano literary movement for its ability to represent a community's search for an identity
(Fernandez Olmos, 17) . Coming of age novels showcase the transition from childhood into
adulthood, following the protagonist’s assertion of self discovery and identity. As well, they
focus on the protagonist’s ability to learn from the broader world around them and carve out their
own place in society. Rudolfo Anaya’s novel, Bless Me, Ultima, is a quintessential example of
the bildungsroman tradition as the audience follows our main protagonist’s journey into maturity,
but it also follows the burgeoning Chicano literary tradition that creates its own take theme of
coming of age.
Rudolfo Anaya is considered one of the forefathers of Chicano literature and is credited
with helping to establish the genre. He was born in Pastura, New Mexico on October 30, 1937.
He lived in the plains of New Mexico, where his ancestors had helped settle the land many years
before. He often uses his childhood amongst the Illano, or plains, of New Mexico as the
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inspiration for his writings. Anaya graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of New
Mexico in 1963, then in 1968 he earned a M.A in English as well as another in guidance and
counseling a few years later. He also worked as a high school teacher while he was earning his
masters degrees. Simultaneously, Anaya began to work on his own writings and in 1963, he
started on a story about a young boy named Antonio Marez growing up in New Mexico
(Bruce-Novoa, 14). This book was partially autobiographical and borrowed aspects of Anaya’s
own life to serve as the backdrop of his plot. The story drew on his childhood experiences in the
Illano, along with details of his personal life, like the rivalry between the Marez vs Luna family
representing his own parents' rival lifestyles.
Yet, Anaya never seemed to get it to come into being in its entirety and struggled to find
his place within the literary world. With the Chicano literary tradition being so new, Anaya had
no frame of reference or guidance to help guide him through his struggles. As John Alba Cutler
notes, there were other authors that were writing during this time like Tomás Rivera whose work
was published in 1971, Rolando Hinojosa published in 1972 and Jose Antonio Villareal’s work,
Pocho, in 1959 (the former which is credited with being one of the very first Chicano literary
works and helped prop up the coming literary tradition). Anaya was not the only one to be
writing about the Mexican American condition, but all these authors were writing during roughly
the same exact time in history and were reacting to the same movement. What differentiated
Anaya, however, was that he was mainly inspired by the people in his community as he was
outside the proximity of other more established Chicano movement groups primarily located in
Southern California (or in the case of River and Hinojosa in Texas). Anaya cites his primary
source of inspiration as the traditional tales that were passed down in his community, as well as
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pointing towards a spiritual encounter with the character of Ultima herself that inspired him to
look into his Indigenous cultural heritage and center his novel around that (Bruce-Novoa, 14).
During the Chicano movement, literary journals were a large part of establishing the
literary tradition as it allowed for many artists to circumvent traditional publishing houses that
did not platform Mexican Americans. These smaller scale journals were often created in colleges
by students, who played a huge role in the Chicano movement. One such journal was El Grito,
begun by students at UC Berkeley who were also on the same editorial board for Quinto Sol
publications. Quinto Sol was one of the first Chicano publishing groups, by Chicanos for
Chicanos, and was essential in the formation of the Chicano literary tradition. It was responsible
for printing some of the foundational works of the movement that also would serve as the
groundwork for the future Chicano Literature Studies. After seeing a call for submissions to a
literary contest run by Quinto Sol, Anaya immediately sent in his manuscript for Bless Me,
Ultima.
Anaya won the second contest in 1972 with Bless Me, Ultima being published in that
same year by Quinto Sol publications. It was also awarded the Premio Quinto Sol for best novel
written by a Chicano in. His novel came out at a perfect moment in time as it coincided with the
Chicano movement. It was able to seamlessly blend into the larger movement with its questions
of identity, contrasting ideologies, and strong pride in one’s Mexican heritage.
Bless Me, Ultima
Bless Me, Ultima is a coming of age novel that tells the story of a young Mexican
American boy named Antonio Marez. It is set in the town of Guadalupe, New Mexico during the
1940s both before and after World War II. His family invites an elderly woman named Ultima
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(also referred to as “La Grande”) to stay with them. Ultima serves as an important figure within
the community as curandera, or a healer. She worked as a midwife in order to deliver Antonio
and his siblings. Ultima teaches Antonio the traditions of their shared Mexican heritage, of
healing and how to reconcile the living and the dead. Along with this new knowledge, and his
witnessing the death of a member of his community, Antonio begins questioning his
preconceived notions of the world, his destiny, and his self. Anaya is specifically calling into
question the divide between Spanish, Mexican, and Indigenous cultures that create a unique
identity.
After its publication, Bless Me, Ultima became a huge hit in the Chicano community and
was very well received by the broader literary community. It has become one of the most well
known Chicano literature books.While the overall reception of Bless Me, Ultima is positive and
it has been heralded as a cornerstone novel of Chicanx literature; here have been those who
criticize the novel for “not doing enough” or for “not [being] Chicano enough” as Roberto Cantu
argues (Cantu, Roberto, 13). Given its publication during the Chicano movement, some criticize
Bless Me, Ultima for its lack of political motivation. As Antonio Marquez describes, the novel is
a “muted and subtle work that dissuaded politics” (34). “Subtle” refers to how Anaya’s work
does not deliver a pronounced message in the sense that it is not overtly political. Critics also
argue that it does not sufficiently push back against the white supremacist power structure as it
lacks any connection to white society and does not showcase the tension between Anglo and
Latinx cultures. Marta Caminero-Santangelo argues that there are “no obvious or foregrounded
‘Anglo’ influences [that] are trying to Americanize Antonio at the expense of his Mexican roots”
(Marta Caminero-Santangelo, Jasons Indian, 116). However, I contend that the setting of the
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novel is situated firmly within a Latinx community. As such, most characters are Latinx and
there are little to none white characters within the novel. Therefore, most critics feel that the
novel does not truly concern itself with the idea of race and thus fails to encapsulate a huge point
of the Chicano literary tradition.
Still others point to the aspect of magical realism within the text as a main topic of
contention. Magical realism refers to a style where the fantastical or the supernatural are molded
into the normal world, rather than a novel that is set in a pure fantasy world or the regular world.
This is seen in Bless Me, Ultima in figures like the Trementia witches, the golden carp, Antonio’s
dreams, and within Ultima herself. Anaya rolls these magical aspects into reality and everyday
life. Roberto Cantu, however, claims that this focus on myth detracts from reality and does not
center the real, current political issues that the Chicanx community faced; he states that Bless
Me, Ultima can be viewed as a “flight from history” (Cantu, 13). They argue that magical realism
only creates an illusory view of the world that is not grounded in reality along with looking
towards the past–as it focuses on myths that come from long ago and how the world used to
be–instead of pushing for change in the present day and centering the future.
I push back on these critiques that Anaya’s focus on myth and his usage of magical
realism as a diminishing or brushing aside the fight for civil rights during the Chicano
movement. Mythos has always been a central part of Indigenous culture and religion, and
represents a counter to the Catholic beliefs that are present both within and outside of the novel.
For many who have had their cultures stripped away from them by colonization and conversion
efforts, any connection to that lost culture whether it is religious or not is an important assertion
of cultural identity that stands in opposition to white supremacist hegemonic erasure. For many
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Indigenous cultures, shamans play an important role within the community and were specifically
targeted by colonizers in order to root out cultural practices and traditions. With Anaya retelling
these myths, he is advocating for social change where cultural traditions can be celebrated
without fear. He is reestablishing these beliefs in the modern day and keeping them alive: that
creates social change.
Furthermore, I also disagree with critics that claim that Bless Me, Ultima does not have a
political motivation. Anaya writes during a time where there are no other Chicanx writers to
model his work after, where he was one of the first people to be writing in this genre. This leads
us to the question: is the assertion of identity political enough? I would argue yes, it absolutely is
political and that one’s identity–especially when it is a marginalized identity–is always political.
Anaya intertwines the Spanish language along with the pressure to speak English into his own
works which operates in a two fold thing. It serves as an assertion of his, and his character’s,
Mexican heritage and directly creates an opposition to the Eurocentric white supremacist
structures. While there may not be a white character or interactions meant to show the tensions
between Latinx and Anglo society, there is still a tension between Latinx culture and the
imposition of European cultural norms.
While I do agree that Anaya could have a bolder or more overt political claim, I do not
think that every work needs to be a manifesto. The assertion of identity, which has been
historically denied, is a political statement in and of itself and does its part in standing up to
racial hierarchical systemic structures. Part of the Chicano movement was about creating a
Chicanx identity and showcasing it, which is exactly what was done in Bless Me, Ultima through
Antonio’s entire journey and self determination. By analyzing how these tensions between
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conflicting ideologies are explored, we can see how cultural syncretism becomes a political tool
that Anaya uses to show a new world order that could be achieved.
Antonio Juan Marez y Luna
Antonio Juan Marez y Luna is the protagonist of Bless Me, Ultima (1972) and it is
through this character that the reader is taken on his journey toward adulthood. When Antonio
was eight years old, his family invited the elderly curandera, Ultima, to live out the rest of her
life with them. This single event sets the stage for Antonio’s journey to becoming a man. After
moving in, Ultima takes him under her wing as her apprentice, teaching him about nature,
indigenous mythos, and their Mexican heritage. The novel follows him as he goes to school,
starts catechism, and learns to become a curandero. Through these experiences, the reader learns
he is a quiet, studious child who is constantly asking questions about the world around him. And
the reader also learns of his mother’s desire for him to become a man of learning, with his
eventual path leading him to become a priest.
Part of Antonio’s journey into becoming a man is his loss of innocence and his
knowledge of sin. This is displayed in a multitude of ways, but one of the more important ways
Antonio loses his innocence is by witnessing the deaths of three people–Luptio, Narciso, and
Florence. In the second chapter, men come rushing to the Marez y Luna household to grab
Antonio’s father, Gabriel. They want Gabriel to help Luptio, who they describe as having gone
crazy, but in reality is experiencing a severe PTSD episode where he believes himself to be in
enemy territory fighting in World War II. During this mental breakdown, Lupito killed the sheriff
of the town and so the men were gathering to deal with the situation. Antonio sneaks out of the
house to follow his father. He bears witness to the interaction between the men and Lupito, and
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ultimately sees the men kill Luptio. To absolve the dead man of his sins, Antonio takes upon the
role of the priest and steps into a role that is beyond his age. This is one of the key moments in
Antonios journey and begins the loss of his childhood innocence by introducing him to the
concepts of death, sin and punishment.
Pulled In Two Directions
One of the biggest sources of tension within the novel is surrounding the topic of
Antonio’s destiny and his choice between following the path of his mother, to settle and become
a priest, or his father, to wander the world. We constantly see this back and forth between his
parents about how his life should unfold. His mother desires Antonio follow the Luna tradition
and pushes for Antonio to learn to become a priest. She puts all of her hopes and dreams onto
Antonio, for her three other sons seem to follow in their father's wild footsteps. This puts a lot of
pressure on Antonio to fulfill this dream of his mother, since his other brothers never did.
The matriarch of the family, Maria, comes from a family that is the complete opposite of
the one that she married into. The Luna family are a family of farmers and symbolize a life of
settlement in comparison to the drifting Marez. They descended from a priest who helped settle
the village that they still reside in to this day. They are often characterized as quiet, gentle, and as
very religious people, with Ultima remarking that “it is the blood of the Lunas to be quiet…they
are quiet like the moon” (Anaya, 44). It is the desire of the Lunas and of Maria for Antonio to
follow in their footsteps and become another priest. Towards the end of the novel, the uncles
offer for Antonio to spend time in their family home in order to learn the ways of a Luna man;
that is, of course, to learn how to work the earth and how to farm.
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The patriarch of the family, Gabriel Marez, comes from a long line of vaqueros who
travel on horseback and herd cattle across the llano. The Marez family highly values their
freedom to drift across the plains of New Mexico. Gabriel often drinks himself into a stupor each
night in order to quell his longing for the llano and the desire to travel. He dreams of taking his
four sons westward to see what is awaiting them in California. Even their last name translates to
“the sea”, which showcases their wild and reckless characteristics. The Marez blood is often
described as wild and unpredictable, inspiring a need to wander the world instead of being stuck
in one place. As Ultima describes it, “...it is the blood of the Marez to be wild, like the ocean
from which they take their name, and the spaces of the llano that have become their home”
(Anaya, 44). While Gabriel wants his children to follow their vaquero blood, he does not push
Antonio to choose the Marez style of life like Maria does, rather allowing him to choose his own
path.
This tension between the two different ways of life has been present ever since Antonio
entered the world. At Antonio’s birth, both the Luna and Marez family members were present.
Per tradition, each clan wanted to bury his umbilical cord in their respective lands; fertile soil for
the Lunas and the llano for the Marez clan. Moreover, they each wanted to leave traditional
gifts–such as fruits that the Lunas grew or a saddle from the Marez’s–for the baby to choose
between. This tradition would essentially help guide Antonio to his destiny and set him to either
become a farmer or a vaquero. Of course, neither side of the family could agree as to what
Antonio should become. This led Ultima to decide that she alone would bury the afterbirth, also
known as the placenta, and have sole knowledge of what his destiny would be. The pulling
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between the Marez and Luna causes a lot of anxiety and stress for Antonio, pushing this theme of
being caught between two worlds into his everyday family life.
Not only is this division and feeling of being pulled in two directions present in his home
life, but Antonio experiences this on a cultural level as well with the language and culture
difference between the Mexican American population and the Anglo American population.
When Antonio heads off for his first day of school, which is located within the town of
Guadualupe, he must cross over a river that separates the llano from the rest of downtown. This
divide between the Mexican American and the Anglo American world is literalized with the
bridge that Antonio must cross to get to school, describing it as “the link to town” (Anaya, 59).
The town of Gudalupe symbolizes the Anglo American world that is predominantly white and
speaks English, while the other side represents the Mexican American world, which due to its
mixture of Indigenous roots has ties to the natural world with it being right next to the llano. This
world that Antonio is leaving behind shares the same language and culture as him, and in order
to cross over to the other side he must leave those behind and assimilate to these Anglo
American societal norms.
This practice of assimilation can be seen through the school that Antonio and his sisters
attend, as well as the church that only allows for the English language to be spoken. While the
majority of the population that attends these two institutions are Mexican American, they do not
offer services in Spanish and insist that all who attend must speak English. When Antonio
crosses the bridge and enters the Anglo world, he is barred from using his native tongue and
must learn to speak in English. During his first day of school, Antonio describes how he could
not understand the kids around him and how he “listened to the strange sounds. I learned new
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names, new words”(Anaya, 61). Anaya is replicating the story that many of his Mexican
American readers know so well: of learning Spanish as one’s first language only to arrive at a
school that expects you to learn an entirely new language and live only in that new bubble. Due
to these language barriers, Antonio felt alienated and isolated from the world around him. He
was unable to communicate in Spanish and unable to bond with his classmates.
Ultima herself is also at the center of conflict. As the title of the novel suggests, Ultima is
one of the most important characters in the story. Her role as an intermediary helps ease the
tension that Antonio is feeling in this crossfire. It is her relationship with Antonio that guides his
path towards adulthood. She is a revered healer and Shaman of the Las Pasturas, as well as a
midwife for many families of the village including the Marez y Luna family. She comes to stay
in the Marez y Luna home to live out the rest of her life by Maria’s insistence in order to repay
the kindness that Ultima has shown towards the community and for her assistance as a midwife
in all of Maria’s deliveries. Especially after her pivotal role in his birth and the keeper of his
destiny, Ultima feels a special kinship with Antonio and decides to teach him the ways of
healing. Along with her teaching Antonio to become a curandero, she is also helping him find his
own path in life and instilling a respect for all cultures in him. Ultima teaches him about morality
and kindness, but does so in such a way that she allows Antonio to come to his own conclusions
about the world.
Catholicism/Spanish Colonialism v. Indigenous Practices
The novel's setting in New Mexico where Anaya also came of age explains why it draws
so heavily upon indigenous New Mexican practices and history. The land was originally settled
by indigenous tribes including the Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache people. Spanish conquistadors
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were lured to these areas by rumors of golden cities and by 1598, the land was officially under
Spanish rule and became a colony of Spain. In 1810, the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y
Costilla led the Mexican War of Independence that fought against Spanish rule and established a
new Mexican rule. Of course, only a short 30 years later, these borders would shift once more
with the Mexican American war and the subsequent treaty of Guadualpe-Hidalgo. This meant
that the land of New Mexico came under a new, Anglo American rule.
It is at these crossroads of Indigenous culture, Spanish culture, and Anglo culture that
Anaya situated himself and his characters within. The Marez and Luna family featured in the
novel are woven into this history of New Mexico, and represent the deep seated history of people
in this land where borders have crossed them. The Marez family can trace their lineage back to
the Mexican vaqueros (the traditional term for cowboys who roamed the plains of the American
southwest) who herded cattle and settled the land that had been taken under Spanish control. On
the other hand, the Luna family history reflects the tradition of religious settlers that came with
colonial rule. They, unlike the nomadic Marez people, lived in the town of El Puerto de los
Lunas and trace their ancestry to the priest Jose Luna, who helped settle the town. As it pertains
to the indigenous communities of the land, it is the figure of the Golden Carp that represents this
persistent cultural tradition and ultimately leads Antonio to question his religious faith. Antonio
is first introduced to the story of the Golden Carp by Samuel, who is a friend that he meets at
school, and is told the entire mythos behind the figure: a kind god begged for the lives of the
people he watched over to be spared by turning them into fish. He was so sad for his followers
that he asked to also be turned into a carp so that he may protect them. Learning the legend of the
Golden Carp sent Antonio into a spiritual spiral: “If the golden carp was a god, who was the man
Trevizo 19
on the cross? The Virgin? Was my mother praying to the wrong God?” (Anaya, 85). This
moment serves as another key moment in Antonio’s journey to adulthood and forces him to
consider the possibility that he, and those around him, could be worshipping the wrong figure.
He begins questioning what he previously believed to be undeniable facts about life which also
forces him to consider if other previously held beliefs could also be lies. This shocking revelation
makes him reconsider his worldview and the systems of power that he has always trusted. It
alerts him to another path that he had never believed possible before, leaving him vulnerable and
frightened to the unknown world laid out before him; Antonio is a naturally questioning child
who desires to know all of these answers.
Antonio’s desire for knowledge can be seen most notably during his First Holy
Communion, a ceremony where a Catholic child receives their first Eucharist. It marks a major
milestone in one’s religious journey as it is an important rite of passage that allows for one to
fully participate within Catholicism and ostensibly obtain a closer relationship with God. For
Antonio, his First Holy Communion promises an “answer [to] all the questions I had yet to
ask”(Anaya, 231) and an understanding of why the world has been created as such. He believes
that this event would allow God to give an explanation for the doubts that he was having and to
tell him the secrets of the world.
Yet when it comes time for Antonio to actually experience this momentous event, he is
left sorely disappointed with the results. The expectations that Antonio had placed upon this
event that was meant to mend his doubts and give irrefutable evidence as to why he should pick
God over the Golden Carp–to choose his destiny as a Luna priest and reject all others–are left
shattered on the floor with no hope as to what path he should take. After he partakes in
Trevizo 20
communion for the first time, having ingested the blood and body of Christ, this magical moment
of realization that Antonio was envisioning never came to fruition: “The God I so eagerly sought
was not there, and the understanding I thought to gain was not there” (Anaya, 235). It was not at
all what he was told to expect, and it failed to be this glorious moment where he would connect
with God. So, not only was he left disappointed in the lack of results of the ceremony, Antonio
felt abandoned by the very figure that was promised to always be watching over him. This
furthered his disillusionment with God, making him question if God ever existed or ever cared in
the first place.
In this questioning, Antonio also becomes closer to another strong believer in the Golden
Carp, Cico. Similar to Ultima, Cico acts as a guide for our protagonist to learn more Indigenous
traditions and stories; this is to say that he begins to learn more about the pagan beliefs that
worship nature and which existed before Catholicism was the dominant religion. He presents this
other belief system to challenge the failings of the Catholic Church and help Antonio on his
journey of self-discovery rather than adhering to his mothers desire for him to become a priest.
On one trip, Cico even takes Antonio to go see the Golden Carp in person and marvel at the
physical form of the deity. It is here at the river, rather than the Church, that Antonio experiences
a sacred moment of beholding a deity and becoming awestruck by its power: “‘The golden carp,’
I whispered in awe. I could not have been more entranced if I had seen the Virgin or God
Himself” (Anaya, 119). This is the type of understanding and experience that Antonio expected
to have at his communion but never experienced; and yet, he feels this way when in the presence
of this pagan god. Meeting the Golden Carp further serves to confuse Antonio about God and the
Catholic faith, as he does not understand why the Golden Carp showed himself when God did
Trevizo 21
not. Why does God not answer? Why did it take Ultima’s healing to save Uncle Lucas, while
their prayers to the Lord did nothing?
These feelings of abandonment are furthered through the story of the Golden Carp’s
devotion. As mentioned earlier, the legend of the Golden Carp shows the god begging for the
lives of his people to be spared along with his desire to be transformed into a carp so that he may
stay with his followers. Frederick S. Holton highlights the opposition of the Catholic Church and
the Golden Carp that is set up throughout the novel: “The unmerciful Church also stands in
contrast to the Golden Carp, who is willing to sacrifice himself to save the erring mankind”
(Holton, 36). Throughout this whole journey, the Catholic Church has remained an unattainable
figure Antonio that he feels pressured to reach. His mother, his brothers, and some of his friends
all expect him to fulfill the Luna destiny and become a priest. This unmerciful fate, as Holton
describes, does not take into account if Antonio ever wants to become a priest; rather it expects
him to achieve this regardless of his wishes. It stands as a symbol of his everlooming destiny,
and yet for all that Antonio has reached out to understand more, it never answers him.
In addition to the introduction of a completely new religion and religious figure, Antonio
becomes closer to the character of Florence, who reflects a rejection of Catholicism. Despite
outside pressure–shown in his going to catechism and mass, being hounded by kids for being an
atheist, and the disdain the adults treat him with–Florence remains steadfast in his disbelief and
serves as the skeptic and opposition to the Catholic Church. When he and Antonio discuss the
concept of God and the reasons for his rejection of religion, Florence reveals that his parents had
passed away when he was very young and that his older sister is stuck working as a prostitute at
the local brothel. It is due to these difficulties that he has experienced in life that prevent him
Trevizo 22
from being able to believe in God, he says: “‘So I ask myself,’ … ‘how can God let this happen
to a kid. I never asked to be born. But he gives me birth, a soul, and puts me here to punish men.
Why? What did I ever do to Him to deserve this, huh?” (Anaya, 206). Florence does not accept
this idea that everything must happen for a reason and actively pushes back on this ideology that
is willing to accept unnecessary hardship so long as they get to the wonderful afterlife. He
challenges the Catholic black and white system–of believers who go to heaven simply because
they believe and sinners who go to hell because they do not–and pushes Antonio to reflect on his
narrow, rigid view of morality.
After some deliberation, Antonio and Cico decide that Florence is ready to hear about the
legend of the Golden Carp. Antonio’s hope is that this alternative belief system will allow
Florence to find some sort of meaning in. However, when Antonio and Cico arrive at the local
river to tell him, they learn that Florence had gone swimming in the water and had not yet
resurfaced. Shortly after, they look out and see Florence’s body floating in the river. The boys are
forced to drag his body out of the river and alert the adults to the horrific event. Florence’s story
begins and ends in tragedy, there is no reason for his suffering nor does he escape it. To add
further injury, since it was well known that Florence did not believe in God the town discusses
how he will go to hell. Anaya has written it this way in order to display how misfortune can fall
upon anyone and call into question this ideology that “everything happens for a reason.” It
challenges the Catholic view of unyielding morality and sin, and pushes Antonio to reconsider
this worldview. Florence was just a young boy who had lost his entire family and then his own
life, he was a shy and quiet boy who had committed no sin that was grave enough to warrant this
fate. And yet, he still suffered and died regardless. This brutal death forced Antonio to truly
Trevizo 23
reckon with his belief, more than the other two he had witnessed, as it was unexpected and
without any reason. One moment Florence was alive, the next he was dead and Antonio–and the
reader–are just expected to move on from that.
Likewise, Ultima reflects this tension between Catholic beliefs and Indigenous ones.
While some in the community see her as a curandera, others perceive her as a bruja. This mainly
comes from the slander of Tenorio Trementina who is desperate to turn the community against
her. His vengeance stems from her actions in stopping the curse that was placed upon one of
Antonio’s uncles by the three daughters of Tenorio. Ultima not only stops this curse, but in the
process reverses it which leads to the illness and ultimate death of all three daughters. This idea
of Ultima as a witch or bruja stems from the Catholic tradition of seeing those who practice
Indigenous traditions as devil worship. This linking of Indigenous practices to devil worship was
done as a way to keep the structure of Catholicism in power. By outlawing these traditions and
making those in the community believe that anyone who engages with such practices as in liege
with the devil, it keeps people from holding their traditional religious practices and forces them
to disregard their Indigenous history. These charges are leveled against Ultima, but we see her
opposites in the form of the Trementina daughters who go around cursing the people of Las
Pasturas. Ultima’s practice stems from a place of goodness and healing while the Trementina
witches come from a place of evil and a desire to do harm. This tension has more to do with
one’s intentions in the world.
With these new avenues of belief that Antonio has now been granted access to due to his
learnings from Ultima, Cico, and Florence, we see that he becomes increasingly disillusioned
with the inner workings of the Catholic faith system. Some, like scholar Roberto Cantu, argue
Trevizo 24
that Antonio’s reflects a loss of belief in God and that he is rejecting Catholicism entirely.
Frederich Holton pushes back on this idea, arguing that: “Anaya does not claim, as Roberto
Cantu contended in 1973, that Western European culture is disintegrating but rather that the blind
acceptance of imposed norms–like those of a strictly formalized, ritualistic Catholicism –is no
longer, and perhaps never was, enough to make one whole” (Holton, 23). This is to say that he
has not stopped believing in God or the teachings of the faith, more it is that he has become
dissatisfied with how it is preached and taught. Part of Antonio’s journey is seeing how these
systems have failed the people around him–namely he has seen this in the treatment and deaths
of Luptio, Narciso, and Florence–which inspires his desire to change the system. This is why he
makes sure to bless all three men after their deaths in order to absolve any sins they may have so
that they can go to the afterlife without anything looming over them. While the Church and
society may have looked down upon them, Antonio always made sure to treat them with respect
and did everything he could to ensure they would get to heaven.
Scholar David Carrasco emphasizes using this religious framework when reading Bless
Me, Ultima and how it impacts the broader role of religion within the Chicano community. He
warns against only looking into the aspect of Catholicism as it can become a limiting factor. He
points to a main understanding of Bless Me, Ultima and the broader Chicano Studies program as
“generally [obscuring] the significance of religious dimensions of Chicano life through its
captivity by the Christian world view or its inability to appreciate the intertwining of religious
meanings with all of Chicano history”(Carrasco, 198). Carrasco is promoting a framework that
takes into account the Indigenous religious traditions that also play a part in establishing the
Chicano identity. He argues that there is a need to acknowledge the synchronization and include
Trevizo 25
Indigenous traditions, as they all have become intertwined and are inseparable in the formation
of a Chicano life.
The Labor of the Third World
Bless Me, Ultima, at its heart, is a story about feeling caught between two worlds and not
knowing how to reckon with this position in life. It is a story of juxtaposition and of opposites,
and yet it is within these two diametrically opposed concepts that one finds a home in the middle.
It is within this border between those opposing sides that we find a distinctive sense of
community and identity that has been formed and maintained in the borderlands.
While it was written about fifteen years later, Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La
Frontera: The New Mestiza (1987) encapsulates these feelings of being trapped between two
worlds that Anaya writes about. Anzaldua discusses how the physical border between Mexico
and the United States transcends past a physical boundary writing: “The U.S.-Mexican border es
una herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab
forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds merging to form a third country–a
border culture” (Anzaldua, 3). This takes on a metaphysical and social border that means to push
back on the “us versus them” mentality between Mexican Americans and Anglo-Americans to
construct this third space. This space between, which can be visualized as the border between
these two cultures, was formed through blood and violence of colonization and imperialism.
Anzaldua’s borderlands theory takes up the idea that Mexican American people operate
within a third space between both American culture and Mexican culture, rather than being
accepted into one singular culture–being seen as too American to be considered Mexican, while
being too Mexican to be American. She points to this notion of fluidity, describing the
Trevizo 26
borderlands as “a vague and undetermined place created by the emotional residue of an unnatural
boundary. It is in a constant state of transition”(Anzaldua, 3) This third space comes from the
intersections of oppression and cultural divide, and Anzaldua argues that this borderland’s
identity comes from a place of rejection from both cultures. She discusses the uniqueness of the
borderland as it is caught in between Spanish, Anglo-Saxon, and Indigenous cultures.
Like Anaya, Anzaldúa is very concerned with the syncretism of cultures that make up the
Mexican American heritage and community. Fluidity thus becomes a very important aspect in
each of their works. Part of the borderlands theory, as presented by Anzaldua, is about the
liminal space between the Anglo American or Mexican world with Chicanos being right in the
middle of them. Similarly, Antonio exists within this liminal space between these constantly
shifting boundaries. This may not be (explicitly) between American and Mexican culture as
Anzaldua describes in her work, but it is between the identities of Luna and Marez or Catholicsm
and paganism. He occupies a unique position where he can not be fully considered one or the
other, and is allowed to be more fluid in his identity.
Anzaldua also references a new identity that she builds from the pre-existing
mestizo/mestiza identity. This term was originally used in history to refer to someone who was of
mixed European and Indigenous descent, simultaneously it was used as a categorical term within
the established caste system of the Spanish colonies; however, Anzaldua reconfigures the
meaning of this term to mean an identity of someone who takes into “account… all three
cultures–white, Mexican, [and] Indian” and consistently asserts oneself in the crosshairs of all
three (Anzaldua, 22). Anzaldua makes it a point that she is not just a part of one of these cultures,
but rather comes from all of them equally. Part of the importance of the mestiza identity is the
Trevizo 27
reclamation of an Indigenous identity that has been largely ignored and excluded from the
greater Mexican American heritage. This heritage has mainly considered its past in terms of the
Europeans who colonized the land and the Mexicans who came after, which can be seen with the
conquistador ancestry of the Marez family and the farming colonizers of the Luna’s, as many
skip over the fact they originated from Indigenous tribes. There must be an active resignification
of one’s identity, Anzaldua argues, and one must put in the work.
Marta Caminero-Santangelo discusses the notion of reassertion within her work “Jason’s
Indian.’ Similar to Anzaldua’s point that the Indigenous past has gone unrecognized,
Caminero-Santangelo argues that no one in Bless Me, Ultima acknowledges their own
Indigenous heritage. She highlights the character of Jason’s Indian who is the only character
within the entire novel to be outwardly described as Indigenous. Even Ultima, who represents the
native cultural and religious traditional history, does not fully acknowledge herself as
Indigenous. Caminero-Santangelo contends that the characterization of Jason’s Indian and how
the rest of town treats him, by ignoring or refusing to speak to him, reflect how the Chicano
community “have buried any memory of their Indian ancestry” (Caminero-Santangelo, 122).
Antonio is not immune to this failure to acknowledge his Indigeneity or his cultural
history, as shown in his dismissal of Ultima’s history teachings and overall lack of learning about
those who used to occupy the land. He learns about the traditions, pagan gods, and herbal
remedies used by Indigenous tribes but he still does not draw a line of cultural identity with
them. At least, he does not do so at first. Towards the end of the novel, we see a shift in Antonio
where he motions towards a path where a reclamation of Indigenous culture could be a part of
this further journey he will take. While the future of Antonio’s journey was left open ended by
Trevizo 28
Anaya, we see that Antonio is “paying more attention to a particular past that he had neglected
before” (Caminero-Santangelo, 124). Bless Me, Ultima is all about the journey towards
adulthood and understanding in Antonio’s life rather than the end result.
Combining, Collaborating or Coalescing
It is important to note that when Anaya is discussing Catholicism and the Roman
Catholic belief, he is working with a very specific cultural form of this religion, Mexican
Catholicism. When the Spanish conquistadors came and declared their ownership of the land,
they also began to forcibly convert the Indigenous people to their way of life. This included the
banning of performing or expressing cultural traditions, as well as forbidding the practice of their
religious beliefs. In addition to the literal genocide that occurred, these prohibitions became its
own form of cultural genocide that enforced assimilation to this “new” way of life and rejection
of the “old”. In order to keep these traditions alive, many Indigenous communities began to
blend them in with Roman Catholic beliefs or sometimes simply masquerading them as being a
part of the Catholic tradition. All of this led to a mixture of Indigenous religious practices into
the Roman Catholic belief, creating a unique Mexican Catholicism. This new form of belief
system “incorporate[s] aspects of belief systems inherited from Native American ancestors with
the Catholicism imposed by the Spanish conquerors” (Caminero-Santangelo, 118).
With this history, it is no wonder that Anaya blends in Indigenous cultural traditions with
Eurocentric ones in his novel. We see the traces of this with Ultima and her owl that hosts her
spirit, the herb bags that Antonio carries around for protections, and in the Juniper tree that
Narciso asks to be buried under. Many of these aspects of these characters' lives are intertwined
with Catholicism. When Antonio is being vetted by Samuel for his trustworthiness to learn the
Trevizo 29
secret of the Golden Carp he is asked if he fishes for carp in the river, to which he answers a firm
no . While he does not understand the reason as to why it is forbidden to fish for carp he follows
this unspoken tradition anyways and does not question it. This reflects a lot of how Indigenous
traditions are embedded into one's way of life and practices without one’s knowledge of the
origin. Just as many Mexican Americans celebrate Dia de Los Muertos without truly knowing
that it comes from ancient, likely Aztec, traditions but it has been blended with Catholic
traditions. Marta Caminero-Santangelo argues that there is a “mestizo identity [that] lies beneath
the plot of Antonio’s family-based identity conflict” (Caminero-Santangelo, 117). While this
identity may not be overtly stated it is carefully weaved into their everyday lives, and part of
Antonio’s journey is discovering that the world is not divided into Catholic vs pagan as he
originally believed. A large part of Bless Me, Ultima actually comes from Antonio discovering
this blending of cultures and reflects the Chicano movement’s desire for a cultural reclamation of
Indigeneity that has long been suppressed and denied.
We see religious syncretism at work throughout Bless Me, Ultima, especially in the
recurring use of the Virgen de Guadalupe. Virgen de Guadalupe, who is the patron saint of
Mexico, who is a specific portrayal of the Virgin Mary, began as a way to incorporate this
syncretism to help with conversion efforts. As the story goes, a peasant man named Juan Diego
saw the figure of a woman on the top of Hill of Tepeyac just near present day Mexico City. The
woman revealed herself to be the Virgin Mary, and she met with Juan Diego four times to ask
that he build a church for her. This hill that the church was built upon was also found to be a site
where ancient Aztecs worshipped one of their goddesses. The Virgen de Guadalupe, from her
inception, became a huge figure in the Mexican Catholic belief and broader Mexican culture. She
Trevizo 30
symbolizes a new Mexican culture, born of Spanish and Indigenous traditions, and a new
representation of syncretism.
Moreover, within the Catholic tradition, she often represents the other side of God’s
punishment of sin which is the aspect of forgiveness. Where the Father is strict and will deliver
justice, the Mother is kind and merciful: “God was not always forgiving. He made laws to follow
and if you broke them you were punished. The Virgin always forgave” (Anaya, 47). Throughout
the novel, Antonio is so fearful of the punishment of sin and gravitates towards her comforting
figure. He finds solace within the Virgen de Guadalupe, as he trusts her to never turn from him
even if he has made a mistake. Part of the tradition of growing up is to fail, fumble, and make
mistakes as one is learning how to live; yet, Antonio fears that any mistake that he has or will
make may forever cast him to hell. It is in the all forgiving figure that he feels he can
comfortably be himself.
Antonio often takes after the figure of the Virgin de Guadalupe and models his own
values after her representation of mercy. We see this in his willingness to give Luptio his Acts of
Contrition after his PTSD episode that caused him to shoot the sheriff and be shot by the men of
the town in an act of vengeance. It is in his friendship with Florence where he listened without
judgement to his reasons for his atheism, and in Antonio defending Florence from the other boys.
He employs this notion of mercy to all that he meets, willing to understand them rather than
judge. Like the Virgen who forgives, it is this aspect of the Catholic faith that Antonio wishes to
carry with him, rather than the judgement that the system of the Church employs.
Another example of this syncretism is the relationship between Ultima and the Catholic
faith. At the end of the first chapter, Antonio dreams of Ultima's owl flying through the night. He
Trevizo 31
sees the owl flying with the Virgen upon her wing and taking her up to heaven and sees “the
Virgen smiled at the goodness of the owl” (Anaya, 14). While one would assume that a figure of
the Catholic faith would not be so accepting or kind to a symbol of an Indigenous practice and
culture, yet we see that the Virgin and the owl–which is Ultima’s spirit–get along just fine. As
well, Ultima regularly attends mass and prayers with the Marez y Luna family. Her healing
traditions are rooted in both Indigenous and Catholic traditions, but she never outright states
what god she believes in; rather Ultima listens to all different belief systems and tries to assert an
equally respectful treatment of all views. So while she may operate in a gray area of religious
values, it is clear that she is not looked upon as a sinner. Even Antonio’s very religious mother
also looks towards Ultima with the highest regard and views her position as a curandera as
deserving of reverence.
Not only does Ultima represent this notion of syncretism within a Catholic framework
but also in the combination of multiple Indigenous tribal traditions that are embedded throughout
her life and her practice. As a curandera, she works with plants in order to source her medicines
and cures that she needs in her practice. This is very much rooted in a pagan tradition. As she
and Antonio harvest these plants, incorporating a ritualistic aspect in order to honor the spirit of
nature, she tells him of the history of these traditions: “She spoke to me of the common herbs
and medicines we shared with the Indians of the Rio del Norte. She spoke of the ancient
medicine of other tribes, the Aztecs, the Mayas, and even of those in the old, old country, the
Moors” (Anaya, 45). Ultima is linking her practice to the histories of many other Indigenous
cultures, even those in other countries such as the Moors (old Muslim communities in Northern
Africa and the Iberian peninsula). Not only is Anaya incorporating traditions of local history, but
Trevizo 32
is expanding this to the traditions of the Muslim faith. Ultima’s knowledge of these different
cultures and histories from different corners of the world links her to this
Even the very religious and pious Luna family falls under this unique form of Mexican
Catholicism. While they are often seen as rule-abiding Catholics, where Maria often likes to
reference their relation to the Luna priest and Gabriel brings up the boring Luna men, they also
share this same blending of Indigenous beliefs and practices. When Antonio’s Uncle Lucas was
cursed by the Trementina witches, the Luna family turns to Ultima to help them when the Church
turns them down. They do so against the advice of the priest who does not “want the people to
place much faith in the powers of la curandera” (Anaya, 101). Yet, the Luna family does so
regardless and this is what ends up saving the life of Uncle Lucas. This action shows that the
lines between Catholicism and Indigenous religions are not as rigid as the Roman Catholic
Church would like to believe, and Mexican Catholicism is built upon a blending of the two.
As well, their association with the moon and the land is more tied to indigenous beliefs
rather than the Catholic faith. A lot of pagan beliefs, like the legend of the Golden Carp, along
with Ultima’s status as curandera are deeply intertwined with the land and emphasize this
reconnection with nature. This connection with nature can also be seen in the Marez family and
their connection to the llano. These moments are never brought up as examples of Indigenous
religious beliefs, and yet they are so deeply entrenched in paganistic ideology. Moments like this
showcase that the blending of pagan beliefs and of Catholicism have become so normalized in
the Mexican American community that no one stops to think about where they stem from.
The Political Power of Failure
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With these frameworks in mind, it is clear to see that Bless Me, Ultima can be read as a
political text through its assertion of a Chicano identity that exists between two worlds. Anaya’s
novel serves as a counter narrative that was meant to tell the story of a young Mexican American
boy growing up and finding his identity in a sea of predominantly white authors writing about
white characters. The literary world has failed to encapsulate the experience of marginalized
communities, refusing to publish their books or give these authors a chance, in order to keep a
white supremacist hegemony. In turn, this forces authors like Anaya to turn towards alternative
methods like community run publishing houses. This novel that is steeped in Chicano
experiences and identity is inherently political because its presence alone is an assertion of a
community and narrative once concealed from public knowledge.
Along with this, Anaya is taking a critical look at the Catholic Church within the
Mexican American community and is critiquing the limitations of the system. With the Chicano
movement as the backdrop while Anaya was writing his novel, there were a lot of questions on
the position of the Catholic Church and its function within the movement. Many Chicanos felt
very let down by the Church for not being active during the movement. Anaya, being a part of
this community, understood these frustrations with the Church and their role in the establishment
of a white supremacist system. He understands that “this remote God, like the Church, is
irrelevant to the needs of the people, one of those needs being for knowledge, a need which
cannot be filled by dogma alone but by an openness to diverse sources of knowledge tapped by
Ultima/Logos” as Holton argues in his reading of the figure of the Golden Carp versus the
Church (Holton, 36). Anaya explores these frustrations and potential new avenues of life with the
characters of Florence and Cico, with atheism and paganism; however, he argues that it is more
Trevizo 34
important to pay attention to the teachings of each belief system by being kind and taking care of
those around you.
Anaya also references the concept of a Chicano community that when united can create
an inclusive space. When Antonio went to school for the first time in his life, he felt very isolated
and alone. The other white students bullied him for being different and his different cultural
customs. This feeling of isolation continued until he found a group of students that were also
considered outcasts by the school: “We banded together and in our union found strength. We
found a few others who were like us, different in language and custom, and a part of our
loneliness was gone…we felt we belonged. We struggled against the feeling of loneliness…and
we overcame it” (Anaya, 62). This scene is also meant to represent the East LA Blowouts that
occurred in 1968, which is right when Anaya was writing Bless Me, Ultima. This was one of the
defining movements of the Chicano movement where students in Los Angeles school districts
walked out in protests of unequal education and treatment for Mexican American students.
Anaya’s reference to this event is meant to invoke this idea of this political action.
Towards the end of the novel, Antonio is traveling with his father to El Puerto to stay
with his uncles for the summer and learn the traditional ways of the Luna family. As they make
their way, Antonio begins to question his father about his destiny and if he has to choose between
being a Marez or a Luna. In this conversation, he asks his father about his own religious beliefs
and if everything has to remain separate, ultimately coming to conclusion that it does not: “‘Take
the Ilano and the river valley, the moon and the sea, God and the golden carp–and make
something new…’”(Anaya, 261). Antonio is talking about a potential new religion, but Anaya is
Trevizo 35
also referring to a new–Chicano–way of life. One does not need to be simply Mexican or
American, but rather can occupy these identities with pride all at the same time.
In Anaya: A Critical Companion, Margarite Fernández Olmos argues that the Marez and
Luna families represent different periods in Mexican history and reflect the people of New
Mexico. She argues that the Marez’s way of life reflects the age of early Spanish explorers and
conquerors as they wander the llano in search of new lands to lay claim to; while the Luna’s
represent the brief Mexican period of taking this newly discovered land and settling it into towns
just as their ancestor did (Fernández Olmos, 28). In this view of the novel, we can see that
Antonio would then represent the new age Chicano belief that brings these two identities
together and also ties in the missing Indigenous culture. He refuses to continue with this fight
over what family path he should choose to continue, he accepts both sides of himself, telling his
father: “I do not have to be just Marez, or Luna, perhaps I can be both” (Anaya, 261). To accept
being a Marez and Luna is to accept the history and baggage that comes with both, the free
spirited conquistador path of the Marez and the farmer settlers of the Lunas. By refusing to
choose either side and conform to either, Antonio constructs his own third space in between.
Anaya’s push towards a new world order that emphasizes a respect and understanding for
all cultures and identities can be clearly seen in Bless Me, Ultima. It comes from Antonio’s
decision to be both a Luna and a Marez, to accept both Catholicism and pagan traditions, and in
Anaya's writing style to use both Spanish and English. He argues the idea of having to choose
one singular identity only serves to limit one’s life. This usage of intermixing these different
aspects of identity, of syncretism, shapes the ending of his novel and the direction that Antonio
decides to lead his life. It is here in this conversation with his father, that Antonio finally
Trevizo 36
achieves a Chicano identity. His opposition to those that wish to create a division between
different identities groups, showcases his political ideology that is rooted in a Chicano
framework of community and solidarity.
In the end of Bless Me, Ultima we learn that the real truth behind Ultima’s magic was that
“Ultima has sympathy for people, and it is so complete that with it she can touch their souls and
cure them” (Anaya, 263). The guidance that Ultima has granted to Antonio boils down to
establishing one's own morality and treating others with basic respect. This is what Antonio has
decided to carry on from his lessons with Ultima, and while the establishment of a communal
identity may not seem political on its own it is important to remember that politics begins with
creating the groundwork for community and acceptance. As I have shown in this paper, this is
explored in Antonio’s sense of failure to choose between these dichotomies that are seemingly
irreconcilable, and yet he is able to bring them together in order to construct a holistic identity
where each side is balanced and equally recognized. Anaya himself describes his intention of
writing as a way to “compose the Chicano worldview–the synthesis that shows our true mestizo
identity–and clarify it for my community and for myself” (Fernandez Olmos, 1). He pushes his
readers to consider the failure and limits of their current worldview, and where in this failure can
we strive to make the world a more inclusive and knowledgeable place.
Trevizo 37
Works Cited
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Sirias. University Press of Mississippi, 1998.
Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Aunt Lute Book Company.
Cantu, Roberto. “Apocalypse as an Ideological Concept: The Storyteller’s Art in Bless Me,
Ultima” in Rudolfo A. Anaya: Focus on Criticism , Ed. César A. González-T. Edited by
César A. González-T, Lalo Press, 1990.
Caminero-Santangelo, Marta. “‘Jasón’s Indian’: Mexican Americans and the Denial of
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vol. 45, no. 2, 2004, pp. 115–28. search-library.ucsd.edu,
https://doi.org/10.3200/CRIT.45.2.115-128.
Carrasco, David. A Perspective for a Study of Religious Dimensions in Chicano Experience:
BLESS ME, ULTIMA as a Religious Text. 2001, p. 1970.
Contreras, Sheila Marie. Chicana, Chicano, Chican@, Chicanx.
Cutler, John Alba. “Quinto Sol, Chicano/a Literature, and the Long March Through
Institutions.” American Literary History, vol. 26, no. 2, 2014, pp. 262–94.
Fernández Olmos, Margarite. Rudolfo A. Anaya: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press,
1999.
Holton, Frederick S. “Chicano as ‘Bricoleur’: Christianity and Mythmaking in Rudolfo
Anaya’s ‘Bless Me, Ultima.’” Confluencia, vol. 11, no. 1, 1995, pp. 22–41.
Trevizo 38
Kinga Maria, Mioduszewska. “The Development of the Protagonist in Rudolfo Anaya’s
Chicano Bildungsroman Bless Me, Ultima.” University of Białystok, Poland.
Marquez, Antonio. “The Achievement of Rufolfo A. Anaya” The Magic of Words: Rudolfo
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