Ancash’s Mother Character Analysis

Ancash’s mother is a Peruvian woman who lives in Lima on the roof of the house of a wealthy couple who employ her as a maid. Her self-proclaimed “favorite place” is the rooftop garden where she grows marijuana and cooking herbs. She and Ancash speak Quechua, a family of indigenous languages spoken in the Andes. She is a kind, loving mother to Ancash. Although she is usually quiet, she occasionally voices her opinion with clarity, precision, and humor. Ancash’s mother is from Huaraz, a small town in the mountains north of Lima, where the locals maintain old superstitious beliefs about volcano gods. She, Ancash, Herakles, and Geryon visit Huaraz toward the end of the novel.