Caridad was simultaneously High Priestess and the Page of Wands for she had been guided by her spirituality. Fe had aspired to be Queen of Wands, tending to her home and garden and seeing herself as güera. And La Loca was represented by the key 0 of the Major Arcana, the Fool. The Fool card represented one who walked without fear, aware of the choices she made in the journey of life, life itself being defined as a state of courage and wisdom and not an uncontrollable participation in society, as many people experienced their lives.

This was more or less of a “circus” than mitoteros always went back home reporting, because as I said, the conference of M.O.M.A.S. was very serious business, hombre! It started out serious back in the days of La Sofia and stayed serious. After all, there was a lot of important information exchanged during these meetings when Las Mothers took time out from their city jobs, their ranchos, their all-too-mortal remaining children, lovers, and so on to travel regardless of whatever expense it ran them to meet with each other! Not to mention that, yes indeed, closed attendance was of utmost importance because the santitos did, in fact, make their sometimes shy appearances at these conventions.

It’s not like Las Mothers had to hold séances or nothing like that. Usually after the First Mass, because a Mass always kicked off the convention, (eventually, Masses were held by women clergy, not just men, including some who were married), all the M.O.M.A.S. members went to have pan dulce y biscochitos with cafe in the main ballroom or church hall, meadow, or by the beach—that is, wherever they could all be together at one time where they had chosen to convene that year. And wandering among them, as fresh as a field of marigolds, would be their all-too-glorious (if hard to pin down) santito and martyred ’jitos.

They came to converse with their moms, as well as with each other. They brought all kinds of news and advice that was, as part of the bylaws, generously passed on to relatives, friends, the petitioning faithful, and community agencies, as well as to relevant local or federal governments. In the case of the very last mentioned, however, although accepted graciously, it was never done without some obvious skepticism on the part of officials, which, I guess, is the nature of politics.

But what a beautiful sight it all became at those reunions: ’jitos from all over the world, some transparent, some looking incarnated but you knew they weren’t if you tested them in some way, like getting them to take a bite out of a taquito or something when, of course, after going through all the motions like he was eating it, the taco would still be there. Although, it really wasn’t such a respectable thing to do to test a santo, even if he had once been your own chiple child! There were some who appeared just as they were in life when they were well and others as morbidly as they looked at the time of their death, or as the M.O.M.A.S. put it, transcendence, that is, all maimed and bloody or deteriorated, if that is how they met their end. But all seemed pretty happy to be there with everybody, no matter what their story in this life had been.