The Hummingbird's Daughter

Teresita Urrea is the titular character and protagonist of The Hummingbird’s Daughter. The novel follows Teresita from her birth to her early adulthood and focuses specifically on her ascension from a common girl to a living saint. Throughout her life, Teresita struggles to accept the presence of mystery and often feels bound by the responsibilities place upon her. When she dies and resurrects with new God-given gifts of healing and divination, she feels obligated to use them for good even though she does not want the pressure and attention that comes with being a living saint. As she begs of God, “I did not ask for this. […] Please do not do this to me” (348). Yet despite her dread, she knows that “it was already done” (348). Faced with her new spiritual responsibilities, Teresita refuses to fight what she believes to be the will of God and goes out to the pilgrims to heal them. When Tomás asks her if she wants another life, she affirms that she wants a quiet one, but she is resigned to her current path because she feels obligated to use her gifts for the good of others.

Although Teresita is guided by her sense of responsibility to the People of Mexico and remains fully dedicated to her task of healing people and spreading the word of God, she is a dynamic character who eventually takes charge of her own life.