Solito Story Map

Goodbye Friends (4-5-99)

Javier says goodbye to his friends by giving them his toys. This expresses his love for his friends and how much he cares for them. He also states he will come back since his other friends left and never coming back to La Herradura.

Trust Marcelo not Chino (4-6-99)

Javier's Grandfather told Javier to trust Marcelo since he is from their town and his grandfather him paid to take care of Javier. This meant it was Marcelo's responsibility to help Javier to make it to La USA. He was also told do not trust Chino since he had acne which was portrayed as dirty by Mali. Despite being told to trust Marcelo, Javier does not trust him since he looked mean and scary to him.

Last Goodbye to Family (4-20-99)

When they were ready to leave Guatemala, Javier's grandfather expresses his sadness through crying. Javier never had seen this expression from his grandfather before, not even during his drunken rages. He also hugged his grandfather and finally told his grandfather that he loves him very much. Javier finally realized that his grandfather deeply cared for him and will miss him deeply on the rest of his trip to La USA.

Change in Plans

Don Dago told Javier's group that they had to travel through boats to Oaxaca, Mexico. As a result, Marcelo, Chino, and Patricia yelled at Don Dago since they believed it was better to travel by bus to Tapachula, Chipas. This shows that human trafficking plans can change at any time and can force people to take risks in order to make it to their destination.

Boat ride (4-28-99)

During their boat ride to Oaxaca, Mexico, Patricia and Chino noticed that Javier was cold. Patricia noticed first, trying to fit Carla and Javier in her jacket. Despite her help, Javier was still cold and Chino noticed it advising and convincing him to go into his jacket. Javier was reluctant at first but Patricia convinced him to go into Chino's jacket. Chino told Javier that he reminded him of his little brother strengthening the family bond the Javier has with Chino. Javier also finally addressed his group as "The Six" since they will be together for most of the journey.

The Screaming Man (4-28-99)

The Screaming Man begged the coyotes to stop the boat in order to use the bathroom. The coyotes denied the request telling him to hold onto the boat while using the bathroom. He refutes, responding that he could not swim in order to convince the coyotes to stop. However it did not work but the other immigrants in the boat sided with the screaming man and helped despite being unfamiliar with the man by convincing the coyotes to stop the boat. This ties into the family bond the immigrants have developed with one another showing care for one's needs even if it delays their arrival to their destination.

Powdered Gasoline (4-29-99)

Marcelo, Chele, and Chino played a prank on Javier by telling him to ask gas station owners for gasoline. Eventually, one of the gas station owners laughed at his request and Javier felt a lot of embarrassment. Javier told Patricia and forced the men to apologize to Javier. The men apologized and invited Javier to watch the sunset and explained that they experienced the prank when they were kids. Chele also offered Javier a cigarette but Chino refuted saying that he is too young for consumption but Marcelo said that it will make Javier stronger and an adult. As a result of using the cigarette, Javier felt older.This shows the family dynamic the Six have with each other by pulling pranks with no intended harm. Patricia acts like the mom of the entire group ensuring that Javier feels better after he got pranked. While it also shows the unnecessary need of forcing young people to grow up.

The Failed Bus Ride (4-29-99)

At one of the checkpoints the soldiers told an old lady to get out of the bus to since they thought she was not Mexican civilian. As a result, she refuted and accused Marcelo, Chino, and Chele of not being Mexican. Patricia was angry that coyote was not doing anything and cursed out the old woman resulting in Javier, Carla, and herself being taken out of the bus. Coyote managed to convince the soldiers to not deport the Six but they ended up with a small amount of money since most of it was taken. This shows that people are willing to sacrifice others for their own self interest.

Fake Family (4-29-99)

When the new bus driver dropped them off at Acapulco, Mexico, he told Patricia, "Good luck. Protect your kids." Javier, Patricia, and Carla were successful in tricking the bus driver that Javier was Patricia's son. This indicates that Javier is a good actor and will be able to trick soldiers and other immigration agents that he is "family" with Patricia and Carla.

Food Memories (4-30-99)

The food the Six ate in Acapulco reminded Javier about the food in La Herrudura which was Barrabas fish. Marcelo told the group about Barrabas fish and the six joked around and had fun even making coyote laugh. This is the first time Marcelo has tried to care for Javier. This showed that cultural food brought people together of the same race.

"Family" Playtime (5-21-99)

Javier has some "Mother and Son" bonding time with each other by having "fart" wars. Javier has never played that game unless it was with Mali. Later on, Patricia noticed that Javier was feeling upset and asked him if he missed El Salvador. Javier admitted he did miss El Salvador and they had a heart to heart conversation. Their goals of arriving to La USA has brought them together like family.

Child bonds (5-22-99)

Javier was frustrated that Coyote did not allow him to talk to his parents. None of the adults in the Six noticed Javier's frustration which made him even more upset. On the other hand, Carla put her hand on Javier's shoulder and made him feel warm inside. This shows that despite teasing Javier for being the youngest, Carla understands and cares for him and his wellbeing. It also made Javier feel alone and misses his real family since none of the men cared about Javier's feelings.

Misspeaking (5-22-99)

Javier asked for a straw in Salvadorian saying "pajilla" instead of "popote". This made Javier panic over messing up a simple mistake which did not affect any of them at all. This reminds the reader that the main character is a nine-year old kid that is overwhelmed by making simple mistakes.

Time (5-22-99)

Chele asked for the time and Javier responded with "ten-twenty' but Coyote corrected him saying it is "nine-twenty". Javier refused to believe him but Coyote explained to him that time changes in Guadalajara in a negative connotation. None one said anything about the situation which made Javier want to cry. This shows that the rest of the Six are not willing to argue with the person that is guiding them to La USA over small issues.

Childhood Dreams (5-22-99)

Javier believed that he officially has a crush on Carla since he had a faint white dot on his fingernail. Conversely, he upset that he will never be with Carla. He's also jealous about Patricia helping Carla since he has not experienced it with his mom for a long time.

Chino gets Dragged Out (5-24-99)

When Chino got dragged out of the bus by soldiers, Javier's heart raced up. Coyote solved the issue by paying the soldiers and Chino came back and Patricia had a big sigh of relief. It assured that Javier and Patricia really cared about Chino. The next time the soldiers did not take out any of the Six, but a group of strangers since they were sitting close to each other. Javier believes that the group did not have a Coyote or had a bad one. This shows that Coyotes have a big role and importance in getting immigrants to La USA.

Trip details (5-25-99)

After the new polleros introduced themselves, they stated that the Six have to walk 15 hours in the desert. Patricia bursted out in anger as a result of this since she does not believe that Javier and Carla can walk that far. This shows that Patricia really cares about the Carla's and Javier's health conditions.

The Prayer before the destination (5-29-99)

Dona told the Six to pray like they have never prayed. Javier started by asking Cadejo to protect all of them and to protect them even more, he kept praying and praying. After the prayer, Patricia cried showing the strong mental toll this journey has on her and it was about to be over.

Marcelo's Disappearance (5-30-99)

When Javier woke up, Chele told him and the rest of the group that Marcelo left and took his food and water. This made Javier made like Chele and caused him to feel distrust from the rest of the group. This also shows that Marcelo found it better to break apart from the group to find his way to La USA since he lived there initially. Despite being paid to take care of Javier, Marcelo betrayed him and the group showing that Javier's Great-Great-Grandma was right that people with tattoos were untrustworthy.

La Migra (5-30-99)

When La Migra appeared, they all ran and dispersed. Javier held on to Chino's hand tightly but eventually lost grip of it and fell. Even though Chino could have ditched Javier with Patricia and Carla who also fell, he helped Javier get up. As a result of the incident, Chino, Javier, Carla and Patricia were caught by La Migra. Chino really cared about Javier when he needed it the most unlike Marcelo who betrayed them but was responsible to take care of Javier.

Second Chance (6-2-99)

When they paid the polleros to help them get into La USA, it also included a second attempt. When they met the new polleros, it seemed like they were more professional than the previous polleros which gave them hope.

Leaving Coco Liso (6-3-99)

Coco Liso twisted his ankle but tried to continue guiding the group of immigrants. They were walking slower and taking more breaks which made people upset and worried. Coco Liso saw himself as a burden and told the immigrants to follow the other polleros and he will stay behind. This shows that one mistake can cost someone their journey to La UA.

Lost Faith (6-4-99)

Javier lost faith in Cadejo since Cadejo failed to protect him. He also thinks he does not exist since he never heard Cadejo's whistle. He believes that Cadejo is like Marcelo, full of lies. This shows how his journey to La USA shapes his mindset on reality and bad things can still happen even if you believe in a legend to protect yourself.

Desperation for water (6-4-99)

Javier, Chino, Carla, and Patricia were left behind so they tried to find the ranch themselves. Javier and Carla were desperate for water and Chino tried opening a cactus for water but did not find any. They started looking for the ranch which was the last destination and found one with three trees and a water hose. They were caught by the ranch owner and his dogs and the ranch owner pointed his gun at them. The ranch owner called La Migra despite the Four's efforts to not deport them. This shows that the American people do not understand the struggles and goals Central Americans and other immigrants have during their journey to America.

La Migra is with us (6-4-99)

The immigration agent took away the Four in his truck. Surprisingly, he gave the Four food and water and took of the prickles in Patricia's face. They also understood the immigration agent more clearly and the agent looked liked one of them. This showed that not all immigration agents are against immigrants and are diversified (not only white people).

Mexico and La USA (6-9-99)

On Javier's third attempt, he wondered why the pollero was still shouting at the group of migrantes. Chino explained to them that they were still in Mexico and Javier could not tell the difference between the two countries due to the landscape. It shows that the depiction of America in movies and TV is not always accurate to reality. It also shows that there are some similarities in the landscape between the two countries.

Almost there (6-10-99) 362

The Four have almost arrived at their destination. Javier is in disbelief after all of his struggles, hardships, and difficulties he has had faced in his previous tries. This shows the emotional and mental turmoil Javier has faced since he was starting to embrace the problems of thirst and his tired legs.

Goal Achieved (6-10-99)

Javier finally made it to Phoenix, Arizona. Chino, Carla, and Patricia congratulated him for finally accomplishing his dream. They all stated where they are gonna go in La USA and they will all try to keep in touch. The journey has brought Carla, Javier, Chino, and Patricia very close together since they struggled through the desert, boat and bus rides, and La Migra all together.