Chapter 3 Summary

There are about 120 nuns at the convent of Santa Clara. The convent is next to the sea. The nuns have servants and are separated from everyone outside the convent, except on rare occasions. Even when the nuns sing to visitors, they do it behind a barrier. The convent also has schools, gardens, and other facilities for women who visit the convent. There are farm animals, slaves, and a fine kitchen. There is a remote jail in the convent, where Sierva is eventually put. Sierva is abandoned by the pair of novice nuns who meet her when she first enters the convent. She meets other nuns who try to steal her Santeria necklaces, and Sierva bites them. The black slave women recognize her Santeria necklaces and speak to her in Yoruban. Sierva becomes friends with them and goes to the slave quarters to eat...