Bless me, Ultima is a coming of a age story. A young boy, Antonio, decides who he will become with the help of his parents and his mentor: Ultima. His father hopes for him to become a Marez and come with him to California but his mother wants him to become a priest and lead her family of farmers, the Luna. Antonio undergoes certain social rituals that promote Antonio into a man and give the basis for what will become his identity: starting school makes him a man of learning, taking holy communion makes him a man of religion and going to El Puerto makes him a Luna.
Antonio begins his journey into maturity and identity when he begins school. Antonio was excited and nervous to learn and leave his mother. School is a universal coming of age ritual
