Who is ultima

Although the threat of persecution by the Inquisition remained, it was easier to hide in these vast and sparsely populated lands. At the same time, the need for a local healer dramatically increased due to the distances to towns and scarcity of doctors even in urban areas. As a result, curanderismo flourished on a new soil and expanded its arsenal of remedies and techniques by incorporating into its practice the traditional healing methods and knowledge of local herbs of American Indians.

However, there is a fundamental difference between the art of healing and witchcraft — the difference that also is underscored linguistically in many languages. In the course of the novel, Ultima addresses this difference several times.

This task may warrant the use of magic, particularly in a situation when a witch has cast a spell on a person. But this is not the end of her mission. So who is Ultima for a modern reader — a person who may or may not believe in curanderismo? Did she really perform magic when she treated Lucas or did she simply cleanse his body?

Did a part of her spirit reside in the body of the owl? The answers depend on how each of us perceives the world and all that remains unexplained in it.

At the same time, regardless of our position on the supernatural, there is something that we, people of the 21st century, share with Ultima. We all are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of a holistic approach to curing illnesses that ravish our bodies. All things in the body are related to each other and an action administered to one part inevitably starts a chain reaction. More importantly, we now recognize that physical, mental and spiritual health are intrinsically linked and it is impossible to affect one without affecting the others.

For more information visit library. While anthropologists argue about the true meaning of shamanism, it continues to be used in scholarly literature as a general term, which justifies its capacity in the present article.

Included with museum admission. Throughout the novel Ultima shows many characteristics of being a witch and in this essay I will show you how Ultima is a witch. First is the relationship between Ultima and the owl. In the book when Ultima moves in with the Marez family, an owl follows. But that would only be prescribed by custom. Ultima was really buried here. That quotation means that when Antonio buried the owl he was also burying Ultima because they shared souls.

If Ultima has the soul of witch then she herself has to be evil. If Ultima was really a curandera would she really hurt a man, when her duty of a curandera was to help and help people? Next are the acts of Ultima. Ultima shows many witch like personality when she was curing Lucas. I shuddered to see those clay dolls take life. Here Ultima appears to do some evil voodoo ritual.

A curandera relies on herbs and nature to heal people and not evil voodoo. Still, Ultima and her magic are more than just a way to show fights between good and evil. On the surface, she fills the role of the guide in the novel, helping Antonio understand what's right and what's wrong and what's upside down. But Anaya is usually working on more than one level, so it's no surprise that there is more to Ultima than that. For one thing, she demonstrates the possibility that there is more than one God or one power in the world to Antonio.

Through Ultima and the golden carp , he comes to realize that his Catholic heritage might not be the only path for him to follow. Ultima helps Antonio get in touch with the Native American side of his culture because he sees in her something ancient and powerful, something he can't help but acknowledge and reconcile with his Catholic faith.

Ultima has her own journey, as well. Over the course of her struggles with Tenorio, she comes to understand that, even though she has always used her powers to help those in need, she has still meddled with the affairs of other men, and this has thrown the world out of balance. Before she dies, she says to Antonio, "With the passing away of Tenorio and myself the meddling will be done with, harmony will be reconstituted" And that turns out to be a key lesson for Antonio.

Sure, he's sad to see his Ultima go, but he also realizes that there's consolation in knowing that there's an end to all the strife the beef between Tenorio and Ultima has caused. Ultima seems to be from a time that is fading. In a way not a literal way, but a way , she's from a faraway place, and you can get the sense that she is the last of her kind—that when she is gone, the world will change and people like her will no longer exist.

There just doesn't seem to be a place for them anymore. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Rudolfo Anaya.