Chronicle of a Death Foretold Vocabulary Study Guide

A comprehensive set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering characters, key quotations, literary devices, and concepts from Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

Santiago Nasar

A 21-year-old wealthy man of Arab descent who manages his father's ranch; he is the central victim whose potential innocence creates the novel's core ambiguity.

Narrator

Reconstructs Santiago's death 27 years later through memories, interviews, court documents, and personal connections, operating as both investigator and participant.

Angela Vicario

Bayardo's bride who is returned to her family after losing her virginity; she names Santiago as responsible and later writes letters to Bayardo for years before reuniting.

Bayardo San Rom!n

A wealthy, charismatic outsider who buys his way into town, marries Angela, returns her upon discovering she is not a virgin, and returns to her years later.

Pedro Vicario

Angela's twin brother and co-killer who is more forceful in certain moments but delays the murder repeatedly before joining the military.

Pablo Vicario

Angela's twin brother who is committed to the honor code, pushes the murder plan forward, and later marries Prudencia Cotes to become a goldsmith.

Visiting Magistrate

A young investigator fascinated by the coincidences surrounding the murder who cannot find any legal evidence connecting Santiago to Angela's dishonor.

Cristo Bedoya

Santiago's close friend who attempts to warn and save him, but fails due to delays, misunderstandings, and distractions.

Pl!cida Linero

Santiago's mother and reputed dream interpreter who misreads his dream and accidentally locks the front door before he can escape.

Ibrahim Nasar

Santiago's deceased father who taught him Arabic, horsemanship, firearms, and falconry, leaving him his ranch.

Victoria Guzm!n

The family cook who was previously involved with Ibrahim Nasar and holds resentment toward Santiago, leading her to withhold warnings about the plot.

Divina Flor

Victoria Guzm!n's daughter who is harassed by Santiago; her statements contribute to Pl!cida's mistaken belief about Santiago's whereabouts.

Pura / Pur!sima Vicario

Mother of Angela, Pedro, and Pablo who severely beats Angela after Bayardo returns her, acting as a violent enforcer of traditional patriarchal honor.

Poncio Vicario

Angela's father and a blind former goldsmith whose physical blindness mirrors limited perception; he dies shortly after the murder from moral pain.

Mar!a Alejandrina Cervantes

A respected sex worker whose house is a central gathering place for local men and who maintains an emotionally significant past relationship with Santiago.

General Petronio San Rom!n

Bayardo's father, a military hero and Conservative political figure whose high status reinforces Bayardo's social power.

Clotilde Armenta

Owner of the milk shop where the Vicario twins wait; she realizes the seriousness of the threat and makes repeated efforts to stop the murder.

Flora Miguel

Santiago's fianc!e who rejects him upon learning of the accusation and later runs away with a lieutenant among the rubber workers.

Colonel L!zaro Aponte

Mayor and retired colonel who confiscates the twins' first set of knives but fails to grasp the severity of the threat, representing ineffective authority.

Father Carmen Amador

The town priest whose religious authority fails to translate into moral action or prevent the murder.

Widower Xius

Owner who reluctantly sells his house and dead wife's belongings to Bayardo; he dies shortly after from shock and heartbreak.

Prudencia Cotes

Pablo Vicario's fianc!e who supports the honor code by asserting she would not marry Pablo if he failed to defend family honor.

Aura Villeros

Town midwife who suffers a physical spasm of the bladder upon hearing news of Santiago's murder, symbolizing embodied trauma.

Don Rogelio de la Flor

Clotilde's elderly husband who dies from shock after witnessing the aftermath of the murder.

Indalecio Pardo

A friend of Santiago who is asked by Clotilde to deliver a warning, but loses his nerve and says nothing upon meeting Santiago.

"Love can be learned too"

Pura Vicario's statement treating marriage as a social obligation that precedes affection, placing family status above emotional consent.

"He was the one"

Angela Vicario's firm accusation against Santiago Nasar, demonstrating how an unproven claim becomes socially accepted as truth.

"bewilderment of innocence"

A phrase describing Santiago's confusion upon learning of the threat against him, highlighting dramatic irony and his probable innocence.

"Fatality makes us invisible"

A key thematic phrase describing how the perception of an unavoidable fate obscures individual human responsibility and collective action.

Phosphorescent Bird of Widower Xius

A magical realist element in which Widower Xius sees a glowing bird above his former home, believing it to be his dead wife's soul demanding her possessions.