Pedro Páramo · Juan Rulfo
The 69 fragments A companion to the book’s sequence of voices, memories, and scenes. Find your place, then follow its connections.
Full-book spoilers. Summaries and related-event links can reveal events beyond the fragment you are reading.
Overview Timeline Fragments Characters Evidence Which 69 fragments? Numbering follows Cátedra edition (text based on the Fundación Juan Rulfo revision) , a digital transcription of the Cátedra edition. Its contents list identifies fragments 1–69 (PDF pp. 411–413). This is an edition-specific index, not the timeline’s editorial passage ledger.
The English translation by Douglas J. Weatherford (Grove Press) follows the definitive Spanish edition, and Grove’s authorized excerpt confirms the first two section openings. A full collation against the Grove print edition was not available; links here use the digital Cátedra reference, not Grove pagination. Titles and summaries are editorial guides for readers using other editions. See the Grove Press edition and authorized excerpt alongside the Cátedra publisher’s edition notes .
Titles and summaries below are editorial guides, not original fragment headings. Links use this source’s PDF page numbers , not print pagination in English editions or the English timeline PDF.
Find a fragment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 Read in book order. Voices and memories are identified without forcing them into a single chronology.
Fragments 1–10 Fragment 1
Juan’s promise Juan recalls his dying mother’s request that he seek Pedro and the promise he made to her. He explains how he came to set out for Comala.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person narration, recalling Dolores.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dolores Preciado · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 2
The August road On a hot August journey, Juan hears Dolores’s remembered description of Comala. Abundio tells him Pedro has been dead for years.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person narration; Dolores’s memory and Abundio’s dialogue.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dolores Preciado · Abundio Martínez · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 3
The hour of arrival Juan enters the silent town and sees a veiled woman, who directs him toward Eduviges’s house.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person narration; a veiled woman gives directions.
Characters Juan Preciado · Eduviges Dyada Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 4
I had stayed Juan decides to remain in town. Abundio directs him to Eduviges, identifies himself as another son of Pedro, and leaves.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person narration and dialogue with Abundio.
Characters Juan Preciado · Abundio Martínez · Eduviges Dyada · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 5
Soy Eduviges Eduviges welcomes Juan, says Dolores had told her he was coming, and talks with him about his mother.
Viewpoint / voices Juan narrates; Eduviges speaks.
Characters Juan Preciado · Eduviges Dyada · Dolores Preciado Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 6
The leaking water and the kite Rain in Comala gives way to Pedro’s childhood memory of a kite and Susana.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s scene shifts into Pedro’s remembered first-person voice.
Characters Juan Preciado · Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 7
The grandmother’s call Pedro remembers his grandmother calling him in from the kite; the household conversation turns to death and prayer.
Viewpoint / voices Pedro’s childhood memory, with family dialogue.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 8
The rain and Pedro’s childhood Rain in Comala leads into Pedro’s childhood memory: he and Susana play with a kite, then his grandmother calls him in for the family prayers after his grandfather’s death.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s rainy-night scene gives way to Pedro’s remembered childhood.
Characters Juan Preciado · Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 9
Eduviges’s wedding-night story Eduviges tells Juan about Osorio’s warning, her taking Dolores’s place in bed with Pedro, and Dolores’s later departure for Colima.
Viewpoint / voices Eduviges recounts the connected events to Juan.
Characters Juan Preciado · Eduviges Dyada · Dolores Preciado · Pedro Páramo Reading note: Eduviges’s claim about what might have happened is not evidence of Juan’s parentage.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 10
Pedro remembers Susana’s departure Pedro recalls Susana leaving and the long separation that followed.
Viewpoint / voices Pedro’s inward recollection.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragments 11–20 Fragment 11
Miguel at the window Eduviges tells Juan about Miguel’s late-night visit and the sound of his horse.
Viewpoint / voices Eduviges recounts a past encounter; Juan listens.
Characters Eduviges Dyada · Miguel Páramo · Juan Preciado Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 12
Lucas’s death and the water trough Pedro’s mother tells him that his father Lucas has been killed.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene centered on young Pedro and his mother.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Lucas Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 13
Sun and air Rentería refuses to bless Miguel’s body, then accepts Pedro’s money. Left alone with his choice, he is troubled by the bribe.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration follows Rentería’s actions and thoughts.
Characters Father Rentería · Pedro Páramo · Miguel Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 14
Dinner after the funeral Rentería and Ana speak after Miguel’s burial; Ana recounts the assault and identifies Miguel as the man who attacked her.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene and Ana’s reported testimony.
Characters Father Rentería · Ana Rentería · Miguel Páramo Reading note: Ana says she did not see the attacker’s face; the identification comes from what he said.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 15
A horse passes A rider’s passing interrupts the quiet; the scene leads into recollections associated with Miguel and his horse.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration and listening voices.
Characters Miguel Páramo · Pedro Páramo · Fulgor Sedano Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 16
Falling stars After Miguel’s death, Rentería’s thoughts return to the earlier plea from Eduviges’s sister María Dyada and his refusal to absolve Eduviges.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration follows Rentería’s troubled recollection.
Characters Miguel Páramo · Pedro Páramo · Father Rentería · Eduviges Dyada Reading note: This is Rentería’s retrospective account, not a new scene of Eduviges’s death.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 17
Juan meets Damiana Juan hears Eduviges’s voice and follows it into the night. Damiana explains Comala’s echoes and identifies the cries Juan heard as Toribio Aldrete, hanged in that room.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person account; Eduviges and Damiana’s voices interrupt it.
Characters Juan Preciado · Eduviges Dyada · Damiana Cisneros · Toribio Aldrete Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 18
Fulgor recalls Toribio Aldrete Fulgor remembers Aldrete’s attempt to contest the land papers and the forged usufruct document.
Viewpoint / voices Fulgor’s recollection within the narrated account.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Toribio Aldrete Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 19
Fulgor’s first meeting with Pedro Fulgor visits Pedro at Media Luna. They discuss the estate’s debts, Dolores Preciado, and the land dispute with Aldrete.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene centered on Fulgor and Pedro.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Pedro Páramo · Dolores Preciado · Toribio Aldrete Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 20
Fulgor returns to Media Luna On his way back, Fulgor reflects on Pedro’s character and the boy he once knew.
Viewpoint / voices Fulgor’s thoughts within third-person narration.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragments 21–30 Fragment 21
Dolores accepts Fulgor proposes Pedro’s marriage to Dolores. She accepts, and they discuss when the wedding can take place.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene; Fulgor and Dolores speak.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Dolores Preciado · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 22
The wedding is arranged Fulgor reports Dolores’s acceptance and the priest’s demand for payment. Pedro also directs him to challenge Aldrete over the boundary.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene; Fulgor reports and receives orders from Pedro.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Pedro Páramo · Dolores Preciado · Father Rentería · Toribio Aldrete Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 23
Aldrete’s matter is settled Fulgor returns to Aldrete’s house and reports the confrontation settled; afterward he updates Pedro during the honeymoon.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scenes and Fulgor’s report to Pedro.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Pedro Páramo · Toribio Aldrete · Dolores Preciado Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 24
A town Pedro can own A voice reflects on the town’s submission to Pedro and his expanding control.
Viewpoint / voices Juan hears a voice; speaker and exact occasion are not securely identified.
Characters Juan Preciado · Pedro Páramo Reading note: Do not treat the voice fragment as a dated land transfer.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 25
Dogs in the distance Juan hears barking and moves through Comala’s echoing streets.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person narration.
Characters Juan Preciado Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 26
La noche Juan hears Galileo deny selling land to Pedro; a relative warns that Fulgor will come.
Viewpoint / voices Overheard dialogue in Juan’s sequence; Galileo is named.
Characters Juan Preciado · Galileo · Fulgor Sedano · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 27
Tomorrow at daybreak A man urges Chona to leave with him. She refuses because she will not abandon her father.
Viewpoint / voices Overheard dialogue in Juan’s sequence.
Characters Juan Preciado · Chona Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 28
A song in the distance Juan hears women singing a brief snatch of a song.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s listening; the singers remain unidentified.
Characters Juan Preciado Reading note: The fragment is brief; it does not establish a larger continuous conversation.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 29
The carts pass Juan watches carts pass and recalls his mother’s description of Comala. He arrives at Donis and his sister’s house and asks whether they are dead.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person account and Dolores’s remembered voice.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dolores Preciado · Donis · Donis’s sister Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 30
The small hours Donis and his sister talk through the night about Juan’s arrival and their incestuous relationship.
Viewpoint / voices A scene at Donis’s house, narrated by Juan.
Characters Juan Preciado · Donis · Donis’s sister Back to fragment index ↑ Fragments 31–40 Fragment 31
The open roof Juan watches an old woman take sheets; Donis dismisses his sister’s concern and calls Juan a mystic.
Viewpoint / voices Juan narrates the household scene.
Characters Juan Preciado · Donis · Donis’s sister Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 32
As if he had gone back Juan replays the arrival and night in the house. Donis’s sister explains the sheet-for-food exchange and says Donis may not return; Juan lies with her.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s recollection and the sister’s account.
Characters Juan Preciado · Donis · Donis’s sister Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 33
Can’t you hear me? Juan asks a voice—his mother—whether she can see him.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person voice addressing Dolores.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dolores Preciado Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 34
Back in the lean-to Juan decides to stay with Donis’s sister. She says Donis will not return and invites Juan into the bed.
Viewpoint / voices Juan narrates; the sister speaks.
Characters Juan Preciado · Donis’s sister · Donis Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 35
The heat wakes him Juan wakes to the woman dissolving into mud, leaves the house, and is overwhelmed by Comala’s murmurs.
Viewpoint / voices Juan’s first-person narration.
Characters Juan Preciado · Donis’s sister Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 36
You expect me to believe… Juan tells Dorotea that the murmurs killed him; Dorotea recounts her imagined son and the dream that sustained that belief.
Viewpoint / voices Juan and Dorotea speak from their shared grave.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dorotea Reading note: Dorotea’s dream is not evidence that she had a child.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 37
At daybreak Fulgor directs the ranch hands in the rain. Miguel arrives, boasts of his sexual exploits, and Fulgor learns of the violence associated with him.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene with Fulgor, Miguel, and the workers.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Miguel Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 38
He must be outside Juan and Dorotea talk in the grave about Dolores, Dorotea’s soul, and the possibility of heaven.
Viewpoint / voices Grave dialogue between Juan and Dorotea.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dolores Preciado · Dorotea Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 39
A knock at the door Pedro remembers his father’s death; Miguel’s corpse is then brought to the house.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration, including Pedro’s memory.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Lucas Páramo · Miguel Páramo · Fulgor Sedano Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 40
Father Rentería Rentería recalls Miguel’s death, Pedro’s complicity and influence, and his own guilt and failed attempt to obtain absolution in Contla.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration with Rentería’s extended recollection.
Characters Father Rentería · Pedro Páramo · Miguel Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragments 41–50 Fragment 41
I am lying down Susana’s voice recalls her mother’s death and the sparse burial attended with Justina.
Viewpoint / voices Susana’s first-person memory, heard by the buried Juan and Dorotea.
Characters Susana San Juan · Justina Díaz · Juan Preciado · Dorotea Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 42
Are you the one? Juan and Dorotea hear voices from nearby graves; Dorotea recounts Susana’s history.
Viewpoint / voices Grave dialogue and a reported memory.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dorotea · Susana San Juan · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 43
Fulgor announces the San Juans Fulgor tells Pedro that Bartolomé and Susana have arrived; Pedro’s response reveals years of waiting.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene with Pedro’s remembered search.
Characters Fulgor Sedano · Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan · Bartolomé San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 44
Thirty years of waiting Pedro tells Fulgor how long he has waited for Susana and considers what her return means.
Viewpoint / voices Pedro’s voice within a third-person scene.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan · Fulgor Sedano Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 45
Some towns… Pedro and Bartolomé speak about Comala, Susana, and the circumstances of the San Juans’ return.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene and dialogue.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Bartolomé San Juan · Susana San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 46
Did you know, Fulgor? Pedro instructs Fulgor to separate Bartolomé from Susana and arrange for him not to return.
Viewpoint / voices Pedro’s orders in dialogue with Fulgor.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Fulgor Sedano · Bartolomé San Juan · Susana San Juan Reading note: The order is evidence of a plan, not a narrated killing.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 47
Across the fields In the rain-soaked market, Justina buys rosemary, then hears Susana speak as if Bartolomé were present. At home, she tends Susana; they argue about the cat, and Justina recalls raising her.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scenes with Justina and Susana, including Susana’s perceived voice and Justina’s memories.
Characters Susana San Juan · Bartolomé San Juan · Justina Díaz Reading note: Susana’s perception of Bartolomé is not independent confirmation that he is physically present.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 48
Midnight Susana feels a presence she takes to be Bartolomé. Justina tells her that her father has died and was buried away from her.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene centered on Susana; Justina reports the death.
Characters Susana San Juan · Justina Díaz · Bartolomé San Juan Reading note: Susana’s perception does not establish that Bartolomé is physically present.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 49
Many years earlier A memory of Susana’s childhood takes her underground with Bartolomé and human remains.
Viewpoint / voices Susana’s first-person recollection.
Characters Susana San Juan · Bartolomé San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 50
The winds continue Susana sees or hears the dead Father Rentería, confronts him, and tells him not to return.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene and Susana’s perception.
Characters Susana San Juan · Father Rentería Reading note: The passage presents Susana’s perception; it does not establish that Rentería is dead.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragments 51–60 Fragment 51
A man The Tartamudo reports Fulgor’s death to Pedro. Pedro calls for Tilcuate and watches Susana, whose restless sleep leads into her memories.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene, messenger’s report, and Pedro’s inward attention.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Fulgor Sedano · Messenger reporting Fulgor’s death · Damasio / El Tilcuate · Susana San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 52
My body Susana recalls the sea, bodily sensation, and intimacy with Florencio.
Viewpoint / voices Susana’s dreamlike first-person voice, heard from the grave.
Characters Susana San Juan · Florencio · Juan Preciado · Dorotea Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 53
Toward evening Pedro receives the armed men and negotiates support for their movement.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene with Pedro and the rebels.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Damasio / El Tilcuate Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 54
Who do you think… After the armed men leave, Pedro asks Tilcuate who their leader is. He appoints Tilcuate to join the rebels with men, money, and a ranch.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene and dialogue between Pedro and Tilcuate.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Damasio / El Tilcuate Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 55
What does it say? Juan and Dorotea discuss a buried woman’s memories of intimacy and the death of the man she loved; the identity of the man is uncertain.
Viewpoint / voices Dialogue in the grave; the remembered woman is Susana.
Characters Juan Preciado · Dorotea · Susana San Juan Reading note: The grave conversation does not identify the man by name in this passage.
Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 56
That night Susana remembers Florencio and his death while Pedro watches her restless sleep.
Viewpoint / voices Susana’s dreamlike interior voice and third-person narration.
Characters Susana San Juan · Florencio · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 57
Do you know, Don Pedro? Gerardo tells Pedro that Tilcuate was defeated, announces his resignation, and then leaves.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene; Gerardo reports the fighting and speaks with Pedro.
Characters Gerardo Trujillo · Pedro Páramo · Damasio / El Tilcuate Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 58
Don Pedro Gerardo returns to ask for an advance and recalls Pedro’s father’s unpaid fees and Miguel’s violence.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene and Gerardo’s recollections.
Characters Gerardo Trujillo · Pedro Páramo · Lucas Páramo · Miguel Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 59
A long time remained Damiana remembers Pedro coming to her door years earlier. In the present, she hears blows at the gate and sees Pedro at Margarita’s window.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration centered on Damiana’s memory and present perception.
Characters Damiana Cisneros · Pedro Páramo · Margarita Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 60
You were defeated, I heard Tilcuate reports on the rebels’ defeat and changing military alignments, asks Pedro for money, and is told to take it from Contla. Pedro’s thoughts turn to Susana and the young woman he has just visited.
Viewpoint / voices Dialogue with Tilcuate, followed by Pedro’s inward recollection.
Characters Damasio / El Tilcuate · Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan · Margarita Back to fragment index ↑ Fragments 61–69 Fragment 61
At the beginning of dawn Susana and Justina discuss sin, death, and the sounds Susana hears. Susana convulses; Pedro covers her, and Rentería gives her communion.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scene with Susana, Justina, Pedro, and Rentería.
Characters Susana San Juan · Justina Díaz · Pedro Páramo · Father Rentería Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 62
Do you see that window? Ángeles and Fausta watch the light at Susana’s window and discuss whether she may be dying and whether the doctor or priest will come.
Viewpoint / voices Overheard dialogue between Ángeles and Fausta.
Characters Ángeles · Fausta · Susana San Juan · Father Rentería Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 63
My mouth is full of earth Rentería prepares Susana for death with frightening images of hell; Susana’s thoughts turn to the love she remembers from Florencio.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person deathbed scene interwoven with Susana’s interior voice.
Characters Susana San Juan · Father Rentería · Florencio Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 64
I saw her die Dorotea tells Juan she witnessed Susana’s death.
Viewpoint / voices Dorotea’s first-person report in the grave.
Characters Dorotea · Juan Preciado · Susana San Juan Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 65
At daybreak The bells for Susana’s death ring for days. A crowd turns mourning into a festival; Media Luna buries Susana in silence, and Pedro vows Comala will starve.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration shifts between town and estate.
Characters Susana San Juan · Pedro Páramo Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 66
Tilcuate keeps coming Tilcuate reports successive political alignments and Rentería’s involvement in the fighting.
Viewpoint / voices Compressed dialogue and reports to Pedro.
Characters Damasio / El Tilcuate · Pedro Páramo · Father Rentería Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 67
Pedro Páramo Old Pedro waits at the gate, remembering Susana’s departure. Abundio arrives, asks for help, and stabs him; Damiana is carried inside.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration close to Pedro’s thoughts, intercut with Abundio’s actions.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan · Abundio Martínez · Damiana Cisneros Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 68
At that same hour Abundio tells Doña Inés that Refugio has died, buys liquor, walks to Media Luna, and asks Pedro for burial help. The men disarm and arrest him; during this sequence he remembers their dead child.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person scenes with Abundio, Doña Inés, Pedro, and Damiana.
Characters Abundio Martínez · Refugio / Cuca · Doña Inés · Pedro Páramo · Damiana Cisneros Back to fragment index ↑ Fragment 69
Allá atrás As Pedro watches the cortege leave, his memories return to Susana. He tries to rise, falls, and dies.
Viewpoint / voices Third-person narration follows Pedro’s final thoughts and collapse.
Characters Pedro Páramo · Susana San Juan · Damiana Cisneros Reading note: Abundio’s child-memory and arrest belong to the preceding fragment; this final fragment is Pedro’s death.
Back to fragment index ↑