In 1519, when the Spanish conquistadors landed in North America, they were surprised to find that natives already inhabited that land. These natives had different beliefs than the Spanish, so the Spanish continued to teach these people to be “civilized.” When the indigenous people began to learn the Spanish way of life, they mixed their beliefs with those of the Spanish to create a syncretism, which continued throughout the centuries. In Bless Me Ultima (1972), Anaya shows how the two worlds collide and settle on common ground in Antonio. Different people in the novel come to represent different sides of the Spanish colonization of Mexico: Antonio's father, the Spanish; Antonio's mother, the natives; and Ultima, the embodiment of all beliefs. These people, as well as others, help Antonio learn to be a man and teach him to accept all aspects of his life as one. In Bless Me Ultima, Antonio learns syncretism by fusing various forms of education: familial, spiritual and that of Ultima. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Antonio's family upbringing is fraught with the two opposing symbols of Spanish colonization, his mother's family, the Lunas, and his father's family, the Marezes. The Luna represent the indigenous people, linked to the land by their agriculture; while the Marez represent the conquistadors, who roam freely throughout the llano. Throughout the novel, Antonio, or Tony, is torn between his Luna blood and his Marez blood, always trying to decide between the two. Even in the first pages of the novel, this conflict becomes evident in Tony's dream about his birth: This will be a Moon. . . he will be a farmer and will maintain our habits and customs. Maybe God will bless our family and make the child a priest. . . Then the silence was broken by the thunder of hooves; vaqueros surrounded the little house. . . He is a Marez. . . His ancestors were conquistadors, men as restless as the seas they sailed and as free as the land they conquered. (5-6) Tony's early home education from his parents is that there can be no compromise; must choose. Throughout the novel, Tony's mother, Maria, and his father, Gabriel, constantly argue about Tony's fate. Tony knows that one day, when he becomes a man, he will have to choose to be his “mother's priest” or his “father's son” (41). Both parents always ridicule each other's family. His mother refers to the vaqueros as “worthless drunkards” and “thieves” (9), and his father asks Tony to become a priest and farmer. However, as the novel progresses, his father comes closer to compromise as he sees the effects of the Marez blood on his eldest sons, Andrew, Leon, and Gene. Gabriel is disconcerted by his children abandoning him and his dreams of California, saying to himself "I was proud that they would show the true Marez blood, but I didn't realize that same pride would make me abandon them" (122). Tony understands through these words that being too Luna or Marez is not a good thing because it puts the family balance at risk. Although Maria and Gabriel represent two forces clashing in a family, Tony's siblings and his aunt and uncle Luna teach him how this conflict works in the world. When his brothers return from the war, they have changed drastically. The changes in their personalities teach Tony that the world is bigger than just his family. His brothers show Marez tendencies, wanting to leave and start their own business. When Tony can't seem to understand his brothers' actions, Andrew tries to explain growing up to him, saying:Look, Tony, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about mom and dad, you're thinking about their wishes, but it's too late for us, Tony. Leon, Gene, me, we can't become farmers or priests, we can't even go to California with dad. . . maybe it's because the war turned us into men too quickly, maybe because their dreams were never real. (74) Andrew teaches Tony that a man must find his own destiny instead of relying on dreams of the past. Just as Tony's brothers represent the instability of the Marez, his uncles represent the stability and steadfastness of the Luna. During the summer stay with his aunt and uncle, Tony realizes the stability and loneliness of the Lunas. They teach him to be one with the land and to respect it. Their lives are governed by the moon, which they believe to be sacred. Thanks to the stability of his uncles, Tony comes to terms with all the death and pain he has seen. He begins to thrive thanks to an inner strength, which prepares him for the “final tragedy” (249), the death of Ultima. His uncles, through their silence and respect for the land, teach him to see beyond himself, into the land and its peace, seeing the bigger picture. At the end of the novel, Tony embraces syncretism within his family upbringing, telling his father, "maybe I don't have to just be Marez or Luna, maybe I can be both" (247). Even as Tony tries to address conflicts within his family upbringing, he is also trying to resolve his spiritual upbringing. Tony's spiritual upbringing also has two opposing sides, Catholicism and cultural spiritual beliefs. Tony's mother plays an important role in his spiritual education, believing in both God and the Virgin of Guadalupe, a cultural saint. Tony mirrors his beliefs in both God and the Virgin, yet sees great differences between the two: My mother said that the Virgin was the saint of our land, and although there were many other good saints, I loved none as much as the Virgin. . . the mother of God, last relief of all sinners. God was not always merciful. He made laws to follow and if you broke them you were punished. Virgo always forgave. God had power. He spoke and thunder echoed in the heavens. Virgo was filled with silent and peaceful love. (43-4)His mother has a deep reverence for structured religion, shown throughout the text by her constant kneeling and praying to the Virgin. Tony learns reverence for the Virgin and fear of God, but rigorously questions Catholicism, seeking answers to his questions. The Catholic priest teaches Tony and the other children to fear God by portraying him as a punitive and terrifying God. Tony doesn't ask the priest his questions for fear of driving him crazy, believing that the answers will all come from God at his first communion. Even though doubt about God hovers in his mind, the first significant event in which Tony realizes that he will never be able to become a priest is the fake confession in front of the church. When Tony, their pretend priest, doesn't behave as the children want, they become violent and take on a mob mentality. The other children teach him that he can't be their priest because he won't do something if he doesn't believe in it. The second significant event that leads Tony to disbelief in God is his first communion. When the answers do not come from God, he becomes extremely disillusioned, wondering why “there was only silence” (221). At this point, Tony becomes very dissatisfied with the Catholic religion, longing for something more substantial and tangible such as golden carp. The golden carp represents a wonderful god to Tony because it is loving and tangible. Although Samuel teaches him the legend of the golden carp, Tony is reluctant to believe it at first due to his previous upbringing.Catholicism. When first introduced to the idea of ​​a "new god" (81), uncertainty arises in Tony's mind: I could not believe this strange story, and yet I could not disbelieve Samuel. . . His voice was strong with faith. It made me shiver, not because it was cold but because the roots of everything I had ever believed in seemed shaken. If the golden carp was a god, who was the man on the cross? The Virgin? Was my mother praying to the wrong God? (81) Samuel opens another door in Tony's spiritual education, an opposition to Catholicism. In the summer Cico takes him to see the golden carp. When Tony sees the golden carp for the first time, his reaction is one of amazement: "I could not have been more enraptured if I had seen the Virgin, or God himself" (114). The summer after his first communion, Tony really begins to doubt God: “I wondered if God was alive anymore, or if he ever had been. He had failed to cure my Uncle Lucas. . . He had failed to save either Lupito or Narciso. Yet, he had the right to send you to heaven or hell when you died” (236). Cico tries to help Tony believe only in the golden carp, but Tony still can't let go of God. His syncretism between the two different religions begins when he asks Cico: “You have to choose. . . Is it possible to have both?" (238). Even though Tony doubts the Catholic Church, he cannot believe exclusively in the golden carp or in God. In his spiritual as well as family education, Ultima, the wise curandera, helps teach him that can believe in both sides, leading him towards syncretism, the most influential person in Antonio's education is Ultima, who embodies all the beliefs. On the first page of the novel he begins to tell his story from the beginning: “ I don't mean the beginning that was in my dreams and the stories that whispered to me about my birth, and about my father's and my mother's people, and my three brothers, but the beginning came with Ultima” (1). the embodiment of all beliefs. He does not push Tony to choose a particular path in life; he simply wants him to be able to decide for himself, helping him to decipher conflicts in both his family upbringing and his spiritual education to syncretism. From the first day of Tony's life, Ultima steps up to protect her right to choose her own destiny by taking the placenta and burying it, so she alone knows her fate. In all disputes over whether she should be a Luna or a Marez, she remains neutral, not taking sides but providing Antonio with words of wisdom with which to make thoughtful decisions. Ultima gives him the freedom to make his own decisions, pushing him to go out and discover things on his own without the protection of his mother, who kept him close and hindered him from making his own decisions. On the first day Tony leaves for school, Ultima tells Maria her son's fate: "He will be a man of study" (56). While this seems to make Maria happy, she doesn't realize that being a man of culture requires Tony to analyze and question seemingly concrete beliefs, such as religion and family heritage. Ultima helps Tony find his inner strength, which finally comes when he goes to stay with his aunt and uncle in El Puerto for the summer. She knows that when he comes back he will be a different person, and she prepares him for the changes: “Be ready to see things change when you come back. . . You are growing and growth is change. Accept change, make it part of your strength” (245). When she sends him to El Puerto, Ultima knows that he will gain an inner strength that will help him become a man and face the conflicts of his life, helping him find his own path, both familial and spiritual. Last exhibition yet.