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Pita
Abuelita Remedios is Papá’s mother, the paternal grandmother of Odilia, Juanita, Velia, Delia, and Pita. She lives in Hacienda Dorada, near El Sacrificio, Mexico, where she works as a curandera—an herbal healer. Despite their close proximity, the Garza sisters have only visited her a few times in their lives; that the dead man lives so close to Abuelita seems like fate to the girls. In passing on her knowledge of herbal medicine to Odilia, Abuelita amplifies the theme of ancestor appreciation. Additionally, her reflections on Papá’s selfishness contribute to the novel’s discussion of male harm leading to female transformation.
Abuelita Remedios Quotes in Summer of the Mariposas
The Summer of the Mariposas quotes below are all either spoken by Abuelita Remedios or refer to Abuelita Remedios. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
“Don’t you see? There’s a reason we found him instead of the border patrol. He came looking for us because he knew we could help him. It’s not a coincidence that he’s from the same place as Papá.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You’re not making any sense.”
Juanita continued passionately. “Don’t you get it? We were meant to find him, so we could go see our abuelita in Mexico again. It was fate that brought him to us.”
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Chapter 3 Quotes
“This is about all of you: your sisters, your parents, even your abuela,” La Llorona continued. “You must travel to the other side, into the land of your ancestors, to find each other again.”
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Chapter 15 Quotes
“You mean he doesn’t love us anymore?” Pita asked.
“Would you? If you had us for daughters?” Delia asked Pita, looking at her sisters resentfully.
That’s when I realized the evil of what the lechuzas said about us. We had been bad, yes, but was what Papá did our fault? “Yes, I would still love us,” I said, angry with myself for not realizing the twins had been blaming themselves for Papá’s absence all this time. “The way I see it, we didn’t fail Papá, he failed us. He’s the adult here.”
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“Sometimes, men leave, for whatever reason,” Abuelita continued. “Nothing you did or could have done differently would have changed that. So I want you to stop blaming yourselves or your Mamá for the choices your father has made. Instead, I want you to continue taking care of each other the way you’ve been doing so far. I’m so proud of you for standing up for your hermanitas against those evil creatures. I’m sure having to do that has taught you how important it is to stick together and love one another more than anything else in the world.”
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Chapter 17 Quotes
“Tenochtitlan,” Abuelita said, looking in wonder at the great city looming over the swampy lake. “The Aztecs decided to build it here, on the lake, when they saw the sign—an eagle sitting on a cactus, eating a snake. It was the center of a great empire, the home of our ancestors.”
I watched Ixtali row and row, taking us away from the city. “Why are we so far from home?” I asked.
“This is the goddess’s gift to you,” she said. “A vision, to always remember who you are, where you came from, as you develop a better future.”
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Abuelita Remedios Character Timeline in Summer of the Mariposas
The timeline below shows where the character Abuelita Remedios appears in Summer of the Mariposas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...him. The twins point out that El Sacrificio is near Papá’s childhood home, and his mother—Abuelita Remedios—still lives there. Odilia imagines accidentally encountering Papá, fearing his rejection. She tries to dissuade...
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...fate. They are meant to find him and return him to his family, and visit Abuelita Remedios, she says. Odilia speculates that perhaps Abuelita knows what happened to Papá. As the...
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Chapter 7
...about their trip, she is old enough to drive, and they have plans to visit Abuelita in the morning. Her sisters are quietly ecstatic about this visit, and Odilia internally decides...
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Velia asks if they are really going to visit Abuelita, and Odilia confirms the plan, inciting a chorus of cheers. Privately, she worries about what...
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Chapter 8
...their situation. Though they agree that the best course of action is to get to Abuelita Remedios’s house and call Mamá, they worry about the potential criminal consequences of their actions....
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Odilia continues to drive down an unpaved road, searching for the turnoff for Abuelita’s house as marked on one of Papá’s maps. Suddenly, white smoke pours into the car...
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...open. She realizes that Cecilia never offered to help her and her sisters get to Abuelita’s house, and she becomes afraid. She calls out to La Llorona for help.
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Chapter 9
...wrong, La Llorona reassures her that she comes from a long line of healers, including Abuelita Remedios. Odilia remembers her grandmother’s garden. Llorona talks about ancient herbal medicine from the time...
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Chapter 10
...seeing clearly. She invites the girls to sit, already knowing they need help getting to Abuelita’s house. She shuffles a deck of ancient cards that look similar to Lotería before drawing...
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Chapter 11
...with supplies and a map of the area, saying they should be able to reach Abuelita’s house by nightfall. Once on the road, the bickering starts up again, until Odilia forces...
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Chapter 14
...in the barn before continuing on their journey. They are still a long way from Abuelita’s house in Hacienda Dorada, and they need their strength. Pita is afraid of el chupacabras,...
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...livelihood. When the sun begins to set, Odilia realizes they will not make it to Abuelita’s house before dark, meaning they will have to guard themselves against the chupacabras. Chencho tells...
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Chapter 15
...is infected and swollen, making it too painful to walk. They continue their journey toward Abuelita’s house with difficulty. Odilia considers using the last spin of the ear pendant, but she...
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...gate and call for help. Two men working in the garden bring them inside to Abuelita Remedios, who is overjoyed to see her granddaughters after so many years. She is alarmed...
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The sisters watch as Abuelita Remedios tends to Pita’s wounds with great skill. Abuelita informs Pita that she will be...
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When Pita is well enough, Abuelita declares they will leave for the US the following morning. That night, Abuelita sits the...
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The conversation turns to Mamá. Velia accuses Mamá of being as neglectful as Papá, but Abuelita contradicts her. She places all the blame on her son, who she reveals has filed...
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...handle. Odilia contradicts her: as the adult, Papá failed them, not the other way around. Abuelita agrees, telling the girls they must not blame themselves or Mamá for Papá’s choices. The...
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Chapter 16
The next morning, the girls prepare to return home. Abuelita Remedios gifts several seed packets to Odilia so she can start a garden of her...
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Abuelita Remedios tells the girls they can talk to the border officials and explain the situation;...
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Inside the church, Odilia leads her sisters and Abuelita to the virgin’s altar before spinning the ear pendant a final time. She calls upon...
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...goddess is talking about giving the roses to Mamá. Tonantzin disappears, and the girls and Abuelita descend the moonlit path toward a shoreline below.
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Chapter 17
The girls and Abuelita wander along the misty shoreline of a lake filled with canoes steered by native Mexicans....
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...and capsize the boat in their excitement. They pull the boat to shore and bid Abuelita goodbye, promising to come visit soon. Ixtali reminds Odilia to pick the flowers before rowing...
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Chapter 19
...once the divorce is finalized. Odilia is shocked by the callousness of this declaration, realizing Abuelita was right: her father wants a new life with a new family.
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