Part One, Section 6 (to page 45) Summary and Analysis

Without books and wide-scale literacy, the history of Jalco must be documented by word-of-mouth. The village history is kept by Don Cleofas. The chain of communicating the oral history is clearly stated. Cleofas tells the tales of the village to the adults, who then pass the stories on to their children. Freedom is the central theme in Cleofas' version of Jalco's history. He introduces the separation between the landowner and the land worker and advocates man's freedom to work for himself as a basic human right.

Cleofas is a very old man who was born long before Don Porfirio becomes president. Cleofas has short, white hair, a sharp nose, and a white moustache. His eyebrows are dark in color and thick. Interestingly, Cleofas' age and last name are unknown. He is known only...