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Witnesses Rape Of His Mother
While in hiding, Baca witnesses his mother being raped by a man that Baca didn't know. This, of course, scarred Baca as a child and even left him shaking and scared when he saw it as a kid. He didn't tell anyone about the incident but would live with that image for the rest of his life. Seeing your mother get raped is surely to cause some kind of anger or severe impact within your mind. -
Baca Is Abandoned By His Mother
Richard and Baca's Mother decided to leave and live in San Francisco. They Left Baca and his siblings with their Grandparents and didn't come back. Baca's Grandpa later dies and their Grandmother is unable to care for them so they are taken into a Detention Center which unveils a whole new set of problems for Baca. -
Baca finds out that Mieyo had been raped.
During Baca's time in the detention center, he is told that Mieyo had been raped by two white men. Mieyo had been seen on the side of the road by two white men who proceeded to invite him to their home where they fed and dressed him. Everything seemed normal until they decided to rape Mieyo and Mieyo returned. Baca was extremely angry when he found out especially since he already had a vendetta out towards the white people which only fueled his hate for them even more. -
Baca meets Theresa at new school
After being put into a school during his time at the detention center, Baca experiences the "normal" things that people his age should live through. He is struggling to fit in and develop a true crowd or circle of friends. He is quite known around the school due to his physique and ability to fight. Even his girlfriend, Theresa, only wants him for his body and please her sexually. Theresa will be a person he constantly thinks about throughout all his experiences in the future. -
Baca is put on a "Trial Run" by his school football coach
During his period in time going to school with the help of the DC, he was a part of the high school football team due to his built physique. After a while, the coach decided to invite him over for the weekend but Baca didn't know it was a trial to see if they would adopt him or not. Here the reader was able to see the connection Baca still had with his culture in that he felt he was betraying the culture if he was a part of a white family. He felt out of place so he rejected the adoption. -
Baca Meets Lonnie
Lonnie was Baca's new lover. She did a good job at filling up the hole that had been left by Theresa. She was very loyal to him, always by his side and doing his bidding. The difference with Theresa being that she actually loved him and he loved her. Although he still thinks about Theresa a little, he found a new soulmate in life. They were even going to get married until the undercover cop busted them at Ricks house and the shooting unveiled. -
Tecolote introduces Baca to Galvan and his weed selling business
Baca and Marcos trying to make money learn about Galvan and his weed business. After traveling to Mexico, Baca meets up with Galvan's goons and is given 50 pounds of weed to sell as a test run. Baca sells it like nothing and is now getting even larger quantities of weed to sell. With the help of Carey, a new member to their little circle, they begin selling around town and out of state too. He is then a wanted criminal and cops are on the lookout which then leads into the shooting at home. -
Baca Turns Himself In
After Rick, Carey, Lonnie, and Baca were caught off by an undercover cop, A shootout occurs and Rick, Carey, and Lonnie are arrested while Baca escapes. After a last look at his families current situtation while sitting upon the Sandia Mountains, Baca decides to turn himself in. He is later extradited to jail in Arizona. -
Baca is put into "The Hole"
After continuous misdemeanors within the jail, Baca is placed into the hole. A small room with no light, the room is completely black. It is here where the reader gets an insight into Baca's youth life from his perspective and see his relationships with other people. It's also here where the reader sees the importance of his grandfather in the little joy he had as a child, having a loving relationship with him. -
Introduced to Harry and his Church Program.
A man by the name of Harry sends Baca a letter as a part of a program with convicts. This Pen pal is what unlocks Baca's ability to express himself through literature. Its the start of his new life as a poet. After writing back in forth with Harry and beginning to improve his reading and writing Baca is on the path to becoming the elusive poet he wants to be. -
Chelo teaches Baca about his Chicano and Aztec roots
Throughout Baca's entire life he has been searching to find an identity in which represents him. This is most apparent in jail especially when jail drains everything from a man and sets them up for failure. During Baca's rebirth, he was able to feel this connection to his roots and feel proud of them. All because Chelo had told him stories about the past with the Aztecs and Chicanos. Baca finally found an identity within the culture which helped him grow to the person he became. -
Baca learns the sad truth about his mother and Mieyo
After getting out of jail and raising a kid, Baca and his mother begin a relationship once more and his mother wants to return to her Hispanic heritage. She tells everyone that she's actually Mexican including her kids and Richards parents. This makes Richard mad and he shot her in the face 5 times. Upon hearing this Mieyo spiraled into chaos and into a drunkard and drug user. Seeing his family suffer through all this pain impacted Baca as he was beginning to feel joy once again. The End.
