The owl had also shown religious or magical connotations through his helper towards the Virgen and the children of Limbo, as witnessed by Tony in a dream. The family takes their responsibility of caring for the older generation very seriously, especially Tony's mother, who feels that her family must show their respect to Ultima for helping deliver Tony and his sisters. It was also revealed that Ultima helped Tony's mother overcome the difficult years of living in the llano. So, this family seems to owe their life to Ultima, which is very similar to the Mexican culture that respects the elders of the family a lot. In Tony's dream he witnesses his own birth. She sees Ultima helping her mother during the birth as her parents' family and friends pour in and begin arguing about what should be done to the placenta to ensure the baby's future fate. His mother's brothers choose to bury the placenta so that it can fertilize the soil and connect Tony to their ways. His father's fellow vaqueros want the placenta cremated and let the wind free him along the land. Yet, at the end of the dream Ultima declares that she will be the one to decide Tony's fate