Captain Kidd’s wife, now deceased. Maria Luisa comes from a venerable Spanish family, the Betancourt y Reales, who were among the first to settle in Spanish Mexico. Her lineage is a reminder of the various overlapping colonial histories that influenced America’s foundation. Appearing in Captain Kidd’s memories as a beautiful and calm figure, she represents an era when his life felt more grounded and worthwhile. He’s unable to fill the void created by her loss until he takes on responsibility for Johanna.
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Maria Luisa Character Timeline in News of the World
The timeline below shows where the character Maria Luisa appears in News of the World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...and it’s not easy to be formally introduced to her, but eventually Captain Kidd and Maria Luisa are married and have two daughters.
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Chapter 9
...return to Texas, where they can try to reclaim the land which his deceased wife, Maria Luisa , owned through her family. He instructs Elizabeth, who enjoys thorny problems, to write to...
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Chapter 16
...recovered and in good spirits. He once traveled up this road to North Texas after Maria Luisa ’s death. He remembers the houses of San Antonio with their ornate balconies, modeled after...
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Chapter 22
The church in San Antonio, called San Fernando, is renovated, but the bones of Maria Luisa ’s ancestors still lie beneath the floor. The Kiowa are not buried in the ground...
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