“But that alone is not enough to meet the criteria of the Party’s leaders.”

“What party do you belong to, Leonardo?”

“Your question offends me, señor Gobernador. What party could I belong to? The official party.”

“The requirements are minimal. They’ll ask about your background, they’ll request certain information. They’ll want to know everything related to the Chamula uprising led by Winiktón.”

“Winiktón wasn’t responsible. He’s only an Indian.”

“Who, then?”

“Fernando Ulloa. He was the one who goaded the Chamulas on with his ranting, then acted as their caudillo.”

“Do you have any proof of this?”

“We wouldn’t be talking if we couldn’t prove it. It’s a serious accusation.”

“Ulloa was with the Indians until he saw he was lost and wanted to negotiate with us.”

“Actually, he wanted to put a price on his surrender.”

“An unacceptable price: complete amnesty.”

“He thought he was very smart. But when we saw him arriving at the appointed place on his own, we knew that either Ulloa had betrayed the Indians, and in that case his promises were no longer worth anything, or the Indians had dispersed and were no longer a threat. So we took him prisoner.”

“We interrogated him and he described the Indians’ weapons, positions, and plans in detail.”

“Was a written record made of this?”

“Yes.”

“Signed by Ulloa?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks to that we became aware of the extent of the danger we were in. And of the measures that would best enable us to ward it off.”

“Those measures were the directives issued by Leonardo Cifuentes?”

“Among other things.”

“They are very harsh. If they had been carried out to the letter not a single Chamula would be left alive.”

“Señor Gobernador, these things are like bargaining in the market. You ask for twice as much so the other will offer you a quarter of that and in the end you settle for half.”

“You were counting on a lack of zeal among those who carried out the mandate, then.”

“And on their lesser numbers and the disadvantage of operating on enemy territory.”

“You must be pleased with the results.”

“There is order. There is peace. You yourself said so.”

“If peace and order are being maintained, what is there to complain about?”

“There will certainly be no more disturbances. The cause has disappeared, hasn’t it?—Ulloa.”

“Another man may come to take his place.”

“He’ll take care to be more prudent. He’ll be told about his predecessor’s fate.”

“It was unfortunate, wasn’t it? When we were considering his case, we decided that since he had been a federal employee before launching the uprising the matter did not fall under our jurisdiction.”

“He had to be sent to Mexico.”

“Where there is no death penalty, as there is in Chiapas.”