The Hummingbird's Daughter

At Aquihuiquichi, Teresita moves in with Don Teófano and his niece and feels as though she is being exiled in punishment. When a stray cat seeks her out while in labor, Teresita soon discovers her talent for aiding births. She soon helps with livestock births, and midwives even invite her to attend human births. When Teófano journeys to Cabora to inform Huila of Teresita’s new activities, she is not pleased. One Saturday, Tomás wakes early to visit his family, but he is stopped by Segundo, who reveals that Buenaventura is Tomás’s son.

Huila visits Teresita at Aquihuiquichi and asks about the births. She asks if Teresita wants to help bring life into the world. Teresita thinks about it, but she admits that she would rather help to ease people’s suffering. Huila explains that Teresita needs a new teacher, as this new land they are in is watched by a different angel.

Tomás brings Buenaventura to Alamos and admits the truth of the boy’s parentage to his wife. Loreto always knew of his affairs, but now, his open admission is too much for her. Although she will not divorce him, she wants to be separated from him. On the ride back to Cabora, Tomás threatens Buenaventura each time the boy speaks. They stop at Cantúa’s restaurant, and Tomás is smitten with Gabriela, Cantúa’s daughter. He repeats her name to himself throughout the ride back to Cabora.

Teresita, Huila, and Teófano make their way north, following directions from passersby and Huila’s guidance through her reading of various signs. They find the hut of the man for whom they are searching. When he arrives, he introduces himself as Manuelito. Huila tells him that Teresita must learn about plants. Manuelito tells Teresita that to be an hechicera, or healer and user of magic, she must learn the uses of thousands of different plants. Manuelito explains that she is both a boy and a girl, and that true power comes by finding the right balance between the genders. When her education is complete, she struggles to say goodbye.

When she returns from her time with Manuelito, Teresita is again abandoned in Aquihuiquichi. She uses her new training to make a potion to ease menstrual cramps. She also attends a birth in which both the mother and child die. She comforts the husband, but after witnessing such suffering, she largely keeps to herself. When Buenaventura arrives, having been exiled for ruining Tomás’s marriage, he asks to stay with her. However, Teresita suggests that such an arrangement would be strange. He disagrees with her, saying that it is normal for siblings to stay with each other. When she asks Teófano if this relationship is true, his silence confirms that Tomás is her father.

One day, a boy rides into Cabora and tells Tomás that a swarm of bees is overtaking Cantúa’s restaurant. Tomás agrees to help and excitedly makes his way there with his equipment. When he arrives, he tries to seduce Gabriela before her father appears. Tomás smokes the bees out with marijuana and calmly transfers their queen to a bee box. The rest of the bees soon follow. Impressed, Gabriela cooks for Tomás. Her father warns Tomás to be a gentleman, and when Aguirre arrives to join Tomás, he finds a party with music taking over the restaurant. While the men enjoy the festivities, Loreto and the children pass by on their way to Cabora.

When Aguirre and Tomás return to Cabora, Segundo informs them that Loreto is Loreto there and that Huila and Teresita also wish to speak with Tomás. Tomás enters the house to find his children, Loreto, and a priest named Padre Gastélum. Aguirre joins him, but because he is a Protestant, the priest soon dismisses him. The priest is also an informant for President Díaz, which worries Aguirre. Huila walks into the house as Tomás and Loreto begin fighting in earnest. In his anger, Tomás throws the children out of the house.

Their screaming continues until Segundo calls Tomás out to break up a fight between Buenaventura and his eldest son, Juan Francisco. Juan tells him that Buenaventura initiated the fight by claiming to be his son. Buenaventura proudly announces that he is not the only one and points to Teresita. Loreto admits that she always knew the truth about Teresita. Everyone disperses. Huila accompanies Loreto, and Tomás and Teresita are left alone together. She is not angry at him, and they agree to call each other father and daughter.

Teresita moves into the big house and begins her new life under Tomás’s new rules. He teaches her how to properly bathe, eat, dress, act, speak, and read. Whenever she can, she resists his efforts to bring her into a new social class, refusing to wear shoes and continuing to speak in her Indigenous tongue. Teresita also continues her work with plants and dreams even as she learns how to read. She spends a great deal of time with Tomás and advises him to show mercy to Buenaventura. He promises that she will work with Huila when the woman returns. Teresita also surprises Tomás by becoming friends with Gabriela and inviting her to sleep over.

Teresita’s friends, Josefina and Gabriela, sleep over often. Both claim to love Tomás, though Gabriela’s claims are more serious. Teresita discovers how to capture other people’s dreams and guide them through the experience. One night, Teresita takes the girls on a trip to Mexico City in their dreams, and even though none of them ever physically visit the city, they can easily use a map to locate the places they visited in their shared dream.

Tomás tells Huila that he is in love, and Huila is not surprised. She tells Tomás to stop whining, pursue Gabriela, and become a better man for her than he has been for Loreto. He then writes a letter to Gabriela’s father, confessing his love for her and asking to meet to discuss his intentions. He mentions a beneficial partnership between Cantúa and the ranch if they unite their families.

Cantúa writes back, seeing Tomás’s offer as a new chance at freedom. With this arrangement, he can secure a good place for Gabriela, take the money, and finally return to the rest of his family on the coast. Gabriela soon receives her own room in Tomás’s house, but she quickly comes to share a bed with Tomás, for their relationship is strong. Hearing of this new girl, Loreto returns to the ranch and once again fights with Tomás. Each accuses the other of marital shortcomings, and the argument ends when Tomás banishes Loreto from the ranch entirely and threatens to divorce her if she ever comes back. His show of force earns him respect among his workers.

Tomás is out riding one day when he sees Lieutenant Enríquez leading a group of Yaquis. He asks where they are going and what will happen to their land, but Enríquez simply warns Tomás to go home and protect his family. Meanwhile, Huila continues to instruct Teresita, teaching her how to use the power of the earth. She tells Teresita to stand firm with her feet in the soil, explaining that if she can draw power from the earth, she will be unmovable. Teresita struggles to understand the lesson, and Huila reminds her to accept mystery and to have faith in God.

Huila also teaches Teresita how to assist with births. Teresita sees a whole new world and gains a fresh understanding of the power and strength of women. Huila instructs Teresita because she hopes that Teresita will one day replace her. During a particularly long and difficult birth, Teresita feels a hot, golden sensation in her hands and places them on the mother’s stomach. The pain stops and the baby comes. The next morning, Teresita is up early. She wonders what happened with her hands, and she suddenly hears God telling her to stand and walk until he tells her to stop. Huila finds Teresita walking, but when she tries to stop her, Teresita suffers a seizure. She recovers but acts strangely afterward.

Through his silver mines, Tomás grows rich and powerful. He plays the part of a refined man for Gabriela and Loreto, but he longs to pursue wild adventures. Aguirre wants revolution, but Tomás understands that this would lead to their executions. Aguirre, who is too openly critical of the government, leaves for Texas to escape political persecution. With Aguirre gone, Tomás finds his most reliable companion to be Teresita, for although she pushes against his rules, she discusses literature and poetry with him.

Teresita’s powers continue to grow until she replaces Huila as the preferred midwife. She sometimes challenges men to knock her over, but this proves to be an impossible task for them because she knows how to harness the power of the earth. Tomás disapproves of Teresita’s activities and hopes to redirect her energies toward running the ranch so he can pursue his own adventures.

Buenaventura dislikes Teresita and the power she holds over everyone on the ranch. One day, he makes fun of the People while she is playing with the children. She raises her hand and yells at him to stop. He freezes, falls over, and convulses. It takes Huila the entire night to stabilize him, using both Catholic prayer and Indigenous medicinal methods. Tomás is furious and forbids Teresita to use her gifts. While they treat Buenaventura, no one comes to speak to Teresita about it, and she feels betrayed in a new way. When he recovers, Buenaventura decides to move to Aquihuiquichi, since the attack has left him with a tremor and poor balance.