Part 1, Section 5, "The De Ovandos" Summary

The narrative, which is now dealing with Mexico's revolutionary past, moves to the de Ovando family, the wealthiest feudal landowners in Mexico.

Political turmoil caused the family to relocate temporarily to New York City, and then to Paris (upon the death of the patriarch, Don Francisco). The matriarch, Dona Lorenza, is driven by the need to maintain the family's honor and aristocratic heritage, even though they are in exile. She impressed upon her tiny new grandson Benjamin the great heritage of his family, taking him to sleep amid the family portraits and teaching him of their many lands, honors, and conquests in the military and political sphere.

In 1935 they return to Mexico to find a changed land. Former palaces and stables have been torn down or turned into social centers, shops, and schools...