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Maria Herrera de Romero is the grandmother of Josefina Montoya. Josefina refers to her as Abuelita.

Personality and Facts[]

Maria Herrera is Josefina (and her sisters') maternal grandmother; they refer to her as Abuelita (Spanish for Grandmother). She and Felipe live on a rancho outside of Santa Fe. She raised two daughters, Maria and Dolores; however at the start of the series she has not seen Dolores for ten years (as she has been down in Santa Fe keeping her aunt company until her death) and Maria has been dead for a year.

She is know to be very authoritative and "boss about" everyone, even her husband, and moves like a stately queen. She misses her late daughter quite a bit which leads her initially to praise Josefina for being most like her mother and have it be Josefina's special duty to help her get settled in when she comes to visit the rancho--a task Josefina feels is an honor among her sisters to be singled out as such and that being told she is just like her is the highest praise her grandmother could give her (so she does not wish to disappoint her grandmother or give cause to have the praise be untrue). It is only later that Maria confesses that she had been looking for comfort in the traits Josefina and her mother shared in the wake of her daughter's death and looking everywhere for reminders of her.

Maria can be much more conservative and traditional than her free-hearted husband; she doesn't care for travel like him and it upsets her to take long journeys or be in large crowds. She does not care for the arrival of many americano traders coming in to Santa Fe and the customs or changes they bring, including that many aren't Catholic like they are and that their beliefs will be eroded. She expects her granddaughters to show proper behavior as ladies, act demurely and properly befitting their ages, and to be faithful and religious. When they act improperly, she doesn't hesitate to show her displeasure and mete out punishment; examples include when Josefina, who is considered too young to dance in public, dances to the music Tiá Dolores plays and upsets Maria for acting improperly for her young age; and making Francisca and Josefina stay in their room all day at the rancho and pray for forgiveness for going out unescorted into Santa Fe at night, even though it was for a good cause. Still she can understand why the girls do things they do and feel justified in them, even as she disapproves. She cares greatly for her great grandsons and longs to be near them and see them grow up, which prompts Ana and her husband and sons to move to Santa Fe to stay with her and Felipe.

In the Books[]

Meet Josefina: an American Girl[]

Dolores says she wishes to go see her mother as it's been ten years since she last saw her, but she will come back and live on the rancho as long as she is needed.

Josefina Saves The Day: A Summer Story[]

Changes for Josefina: A Winter Story[]

Josefina's Song[]

Just Josefina[]

This is the first chronological story that Abuelita appears in; she comes back with Felipe and her daughter Dolores from Santa Fe on the trip where Dolores is returning to stay at the rancho. She interrupts Felipe's thanks for the safe journey by saying that while their trip from Santa Fe might have been safe, comfortable it was not, dusting her skirts out. She interrupts him again (at the joy at the whole family being together for the first time) by saying it's very true, but she wishes to go inside. Josefina offers to help her and Abuelita thanks her kindly and says she is coated in dust like a tortilla. As Josefina helps her down from the wagon, she tells Felipe to bring her traveling bag in the way she has been known to be bossy and authoritative.

Josefina has to be reminded by her father to attend to Abuelita while she and her sisters are fascinated with the many things that Dolores has brought in her trunk; it's her duty to settle her in. Josefina goes to the room Abuelita is in, and Abuelita says as she arrives that Josefina is the only one that can soothe her jangled nerves after a long hot journey like the one she's just made. She then prepares the things that Abuelita likes to have after a trip; cold refreshing water with mint, a cloth and soap to clean up, unpacking her bag and setting her clothing and things around the room to hang while Abuelita freshens up, and finally singing a slow, soft, and sweet song--the same one she always does--while Abuelita sits with her feet up and her eyes closed to be lulled into rest. During Josefina's singing they are interrupted by the sound of her sisters and Tiá Dolores laughing together, and Abuelita pats Josefina's hand and says to ignore those "noisy hens." Josefina's thoughts about wanting to go join the others and not be on her duty make her wonder if her grandmother is wrong about her being a patient and quiet child.

When Tiá Dolores and the sisters return from picking apples for the celebration of harvest to come, Abuelita is waiting at the gate to greet them. She points out their mussed clothes, scratched hands, and the twigs in their hair and that their noses are as red as the apples they've picked. She says that she gave up on Dolores's ruddy complexion long ago but that she's told the sisters to shade their faces or they'll ruin their skin. She tells them to hurry along and tidy up before their guests arrive and then asks Josefina to come with her. She says she has something special for her to wear tonight and presents a blue skirt with black ribbon trim at the hem. The skirt belonged to Maria, and Abuelita does not notice that the waistband is tight on Josefina. She says she wants Josefina to have the skirt as Josefina reminds her so much of Maria and praises her for her looks, singing voice, and disposition like Maria's; this leads to Josefina restricting herself both emotionally and physically (due to the tightness of the skirt).

When Dolores says that Josefina should show the new dance that she taught them as she dances it well, Abuelita says that Dolores has brought new notions as well as dances from Mexico City and that it's not proper for Josefina to dance in front of company as she is much too young (as she is under fifteen and thus a child). When Dolores says that it's just old friends and neighbors, Abuelita is stern and repeats that Josefina is not allowed to dance and obeys the rules even if Dolores doesn't--and that Josefina is too shy and wouldn't dream of dancing publicly anyways. When Josefina dances anyways and does so with such exuberance that the button on Mamá's skirt pops off, the button skitters across the floor and lands at Abuelita's feet. Abuelita, with a cold and disapproving frown, picks the button up and puts it in her pocket. After they get back home, when Josefina tries to follow her to sing her to sleep like usual, Abuelita tells Josefina that she doesn't need her tonight coolly and closes her door, shutting Josefina out.

When Josefina tries to leave the skirt outside Abuelita's room to give it back for her improper acting in public, Abuelita opens the door and catches her in the act. She says she's been waiting for her to arrive and to come in, lighting a candle and sitting in her chair. Josefina waits for Abuelita to speak first, but outbursts shortly after and apologizes for being a disappointment last night and explains that she is both like and not like her mother and offers the skirt back. Abuelita strokes the skirt and says she learned something last night too. She has missed Maria since her death and looks everywhere for reminders of her, and with a sad smile says she saw many of those reminders in Josefina which Abuelita found comforting--but this wasn't fair of her and Josefina is not like anyone else and shouldn't try to be. Josefina is herself, and that's perfect and she loves her because she is herself. After Josefina hugs her, Abuelita--in her usual bossy self--says that she must sew the button back on the skirt as she gives it back to Josefina. But she adds that Josefina should put the button back different so that the waistband is looser and good and tight if she dances again, since the skirt is Josefina's and it should be made to fit her and no one else--just Josefina.

Secrets in the Hills[]

The Glowing Heart[]

Song of the Mockingbird: My Journey with Josefina[]

References and Footnotes[]

  1. In most Spanish-speaking countries of the time, a woman would generally not drop her maiden name--which consisted of her maternal and paternal name--to change her name (see Spanish Naming Customs on Wikipedia), but many would add the husband's last name onto hers in place of the maternal last name. Here, she is classified by her first last name in part to keep her distinct from her daughter, who is listed as Maria Montoya.
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