Bless Me, Ultima

Published in 1995, Bless Me, Ultima, though not a complete autobiography, is based on Rudolfo Anaya’s memories of his childhood in Pastura, New Mexico. The story is of Antonio Marez, his coming of age, and his experiences with his family, with his aunt Ultima, who is a curandera—a healer—and with his friends and teachers. The narrative unfolds with Antonio’s witnessing the vigilante slaying of a crazed WWII veteran, Lupito, by townspeople. Antonio is traumatized by this event and does not understand such violence against a man who is so clearly not in full possession of his faculties.