The Hacienda

Beatriz Hernández Valenzuela, the protagonist of The Hacienda, is a dynamic character who processes her family trauma through the haunting of San Isidro. Beatriz’s main conflict is combatting the racism, sexism, and colorism she faces that are remnants of Spain’s colonization of Mexico. Beatriz’s strong sense of familial loyalty and personal survival informs her decision to marry Rodolfo despite her mother’s disapproval. The marriage highlights the intensity of the dehumanization Beatriz faced at Tía Fernanda’s house because she is willing to sacrifice her morals to ensure that she and her mother do not starve.

Beatriz makes the best decision she can with the options she has as a woman under the patriarchy. In her narration, she reflects, “He was safe. He was right. I had made the one decision that was guaranteed to lift me from the grim fate to which my father’s murder had doomed us” (21). Even though Beatriz experiences discrimination from Tía Fernanda, she risks becoming a similar oppressor because of the wealth and power she gains through Rodolfo. At first, she loves the attention she receives from the villagers and the hacendados when she attends mass for the first time.