Antonio and Ultima walk together across the llano and the river banks to gather herbs and roots for Ultima's medicines. She teaches Antonio "that there was a beauty in the time of day and in the time of night, and that there was peace in the river and in the hills. She taught me to listen to the mystery of the groaning earth and to feel complete in the fulfillment of its time. My soul grew under her careful guidance." Before Ultima came, Antonio was afraid of the river's "presence", its soul, but after she came, she taught Antonio that his spirit is one with the spirit of all things.
After Antonio witnesses the death of Lupito for killing the sheriff, it is Ultima who takes away his fear and sobs. Ultima's owl goes with Antonio and makes sure he gets home safely to Ultima. She comforts him, giving him something to allow him to sleep.
This is the beginning of Antonio's conflict between Catholicism and the beliefs of his ancestors. Ultima is a curandera who uses herbs and roots of "the ancients" to heal the sick and even get rid of a witch's curse. As Antonio grows, so grows his conflict between the old and the new ways. His mother has taught him Catholicism, but Ultima begins her new teachings. Antonio loves both women and must decide throughout the book which way to follow.
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