San Juan Romero
Encyclopedia
"San Juan Romero" is a short story by the Brazil
ian writer, Rita Maria Felix da Silva. It is also the name of the fictional Mexican
village the story features and was the first story to feature the recurring character, "Sir James Winterwood
". In the tale, Winterwood arrives in San Juan Romero after his adventures throughout North America
. Soon he learns about the terrible curse
that haunted the village, concerning a nasty secret involving the people of that land, originally a group of miner
s. Since this tale deals with the evil
in the human being's heart, it has been termed a "metaphysical
western
". The writer Romeu Martins classified this short story as a work in the genre Weird Western. Another curious feature of this story is a mention of one member of the literary version of the Whitehill
family.
Readers of the story have varyingly placed the village either near the Mexican frontier with the United States
, or farther south towards Central America
.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian writer, Rita Maria Felix da Silva. It is also the name of the fictional Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
village the story features and was the first story to feature the recurring character, "Sir James Winterwood
James Winterwood
Sir James Winterwood is a fictional English traveller, adventurer and writer in the second half of the 19th century and a recurring character of the Brazilian writer Rita Maria Felix da Silva. He was introduced in the short story San Juan Romero....
". In the tale, Winterwood arrives in San Juan Romero after his adventures throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Soon he learns about the terrible curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
that haunted the village, concerning a nasty secret involving the people of that land, originally a group of miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
s. Since this tale deals with the evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
in the human being's heart, it has been termed a "metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
". The writer Romeu Martins classified this short story as a work in the genre Weird Western. Another curious feature of this story is a mention of one member of the literary version of the Whitehill
Whitehill
Whitehill is a family surname, appearing both in literature and in historical references.-Whitehills in literature:As fictional family, the Whitehills are featured in the short stories of Brazilian writer Rita Maria Felix da Silva....
family.
Readers of the story have varyingly placed the village either near the Mexican frontier with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, or farther south towards Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.