From what little is said about the mother of Mama Elena, it can be inferred that she was tyrannical like her daughter. As the matriarch of the family when Nacha was a young servant, Mama Elena’s mother separated Nacha from her fiancée by sending him away for no reason. She also prevented Mama Elena from being with her true love, Jose Treviño, and instead pressured her to marry Juan de la Garza instead.