From Petra’s obsidian necklace to Suma’s unicorn sweatshirt, personal mementos are a recurring motif throughout The Last Cuentista.

Reflect upon the various scenes and moments in which personal mementos appear in the text. What role do they have in the new world of the Collective, versus their use in the past? Consider the Collective’s relationship to personal mementos, especially when compared to Petra and her fellow Zetas. How are personal mementos a kind of “secret weapon” that help give Petra strength and courage? Which theme is the motif of personal mementos most tied to most closely? Provide your rationale.

Teaching Suggestion: Personal mementos are most closely related to the theme of The Heart’s Memories, as these objects have the power to unlock sentimental memories that help Petra and her fellow Zetas remember their humanity. The mementos brought by the original humans in stasis have no place in the Collective’s new sanitized society of absolute uniformity. In fact, over the centuries since leaving Earth, the Collective has ceased to recognize the psychological importance of these objects. It might be beneficial to ask students to reflect on one or more personal mementos of their own as a way to introduce this question, and to note the reasons for its importance in a private written response.