This narrative comprises the stories, opinions, and beliefs of the following people: Dona Lola--an octogenarian who still remembers her childhood; Minnie Roses--daughter of the owner of a once flourishing coffee plantation; Noberto Cedeno--a sculptor of popular artifacts; Castor Ayala--in his sixties, he is Loiza Aldea's most famous mask-maker and master craftsman, herb doctor, and teller of tales; Mai Vargas--an outspoken black Puerto Rican in her sixties who has lived all of her life in Loiza Aldea; Sofia Vargas--Mai Vargas' eldest daughter, in her mid-thirties, spiritualist, widow, and mother of six; Raul Ayala--Castor Ayala's son, student at the University of Puerto Rico, and a fine drummer who loves the old traditions; Mita (Juanita Garcia Peraza)--the leader of a cult until her death in 1970; Antonio Martorell--painter, graphic artist, and director of the Taller Alacran; Carmelo Martinez--subdirector of the Taller Alacran; Jorge David Echevarria--a high school dropout and a dedicated student of the Taller Alacran; Fred Nasario--former Secretary of Labor under Munoz Marin; Milton Pabon--head of the Political Science Department of the University of Puerto Rico; Nita Vientos Gaston--literary critic, former Attorney General, and a leading intellectual figure of the Island; and, Father Salvador Freixedo--a dissident Catholic priest who caused a furor with the publication of his book. (Author/JM)