House Made of Dawn

Father Olguin hosts the annual feast of Santiago. Santiago is a folk hero, a knight who disguises himself as a peasant and rides into Mexico through the Rio Grande valley. During his journey, he stays with a poor couple. They shelter him for the night and kill their rooster to feed him. The rooster is their “only possession of value” (29), so Santiago thanks the couple when he departs and reveals his true identity to them. Arriving in a big city, he takes part in a tournament. He performs well enough as a knight to win the hand of the local king’s daughter. However, the king is displeased that an apparent peasant will marry his daughter. Santiago learns of the king’s plot when the rooster bursts out of his mouth and warns him about the imminent threat. He leaves the city and travels home. When he arrives back in Jemez, he sacrifices both his horse and the rooster. The sacrificed horse becomes the herds of horses that the local people ride. The rooster becomes the plants and animals that they cultivate on their farmland. Each year, the people celebrate the feast of Santiago.

The day is hot. Olguin and

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