Summer of the Mariposas

Chapter 1 introduces the Garza sisters: Odilia, the responsible eldest sister; Juanita, the headstrong 14-year-old who fancies herself smarter than the group; beautiful but vain twins Velia and Delia; and youngest sister Pita. The siblings debate over what to do with the body. While Odilia mulls over whether to alert the authorities, Juanita finds a wad of cash and a Mexican driver’s license in the dead man’s pocket. They realize the man was trying to cross the border. Juanita points out that if they alert the authorities, then Border Patrol will be on high alert, affecting others in the area. She insists on returning the man’s body to his family in Mexico, arguing that they can visit their grandmother and find their father in the process. Odilia adamantly disagrees, but her four sisters insist that returning the body is the right thing to do. Odilia invokes the rule of the five sisters: “Together forever, no matter what!” (11). On a far hillside, Odilia thinks she sees a woman in a billowing white dress. She recalls La Llorona, the legendary Weeping Woman who drowned her children and is said to wander the world searching for them.

Odilia’s sisters insist on going to Mexico to find the dead man’s family and their father. Odilia tries to distract them by getting them home and into bed. To keep them from hatching a plan to go to Mexico, Odilia lies to her sisters and tells them their mother is coming home early and that she is going to sleep over at a friend’s house. She locks them in the house and goes to the diner to tell her mother of her sisters’ plan.

Odilia’s mother is frustrated to find Odilia at the diner, as her boss is already upset with her for what he perceives to be her negligence. Odilia’s mother does not allow Odilia to explain her concerns about her sisters. Odilia kills time at her old elementary school. She sees a shower of shooting stars and makes a wish: “I closed my eyes and thought about the one thing I truly wanted—Papá” (37). Odilia falls asleep and wakes up past midnight. She changes into her mother’s work uniform and returns to the house, impersonating her mother. She is woken up by her little sister Pita, who is trying to give Odilia, who she thought was their mother, a goodbye hug. However, Pita’s desire for a farewell hug exposes the younger sisters’ plan. The sisters, led by Juanita, unlock the front door with a set of keys Odilia did not know they had, start their father’s beat-up car, and drive away. Odilia chases after them to join them.

The sisters pause in their journey before dawn. As they exit the car, Odilia sees two small boys rushing toward the river, their hysterical mother behind them. Without thinking, Odilia chases the boys, worrying that they will fall into the river and drown. When the boys do fall in, Odilia jumps in after them, but she is too late. When she gets out of the river, she realizes that the mother is the legendary ghost La Llorona, who is said to have drowned her children to spite her husband. La Llorona tells Odilia not to be afraid, that she has come to help Odilia and her family become whole again. La Llorona explains that the legend of her death is a lie. She had been fighting with her husband, and her children had escaped and drowned in the river while they fought. She wanders eternally for her children as a self-inflicted punishment.

La Llorona insists that Odilia must take the dead man back to his home and visit her grandmother for the sake of her family’s happiness. She assures Odilia that she is the descendant of the Aztecs. She then gives Odilia an ear amulet with magical powers. However, Odilia may only use its powers five times, and each time must be for a good reason. La Llorona warns Odilia that to complete their mission, she and her sisters must remain good at heart.

La Llorona disappears at dawn, and Odilia hears her sisters thrashing through the brush to find Odilia. When they do encounter her, Juanita demands that Odilia tell her who she was speaking to. When Odilia finally admits the truth, Juanita thinks she is lying and stalks off. Odilia muses, “If I’d known the truth was the one thing that could shut Juanita up for good, I would have stopped lying to her years ago” (58).