Chapter 2
Bayardo San Roman, a mysteriously wealthy stranger, first appears on the weekly boat with silver‑trimmed saddlebags, golden eyes, and an extravagant appearance. He claims to be a track engineer but displays knowledge of telegraphy, medicine, and sport, quickly becoming the town’s talk. He courts the youngest Vicario daughter, Angela, by winning a raffle music box and gifting it to her. Their courtship is fast: within four months Bayardo pressures Angela’s family to accept the marriage despite her protests. The Vicario family, especially mother Pura, demand proof of his identity; Bayardo arrives with his formidable parents—General Petronio San Roman, his mulatto mother Alberta Simonds, and two flamboyant sisters—conferring legitimacy.
Bayardo’s wedding preparations are opulent. He purchases the farm of widower Xius, offering ten‑thousand‑peso bundles after a tense domino‑table negotiation, and the widower later dies, allegedly from the stress. The ceremony, lacking a bishop’s blessing, still becomes a massive public spectacle: a Model T arrives, the San Roman family alights with medals and a cane; a convertible bears Bayardo’s name; Angela receives a gold‑set table; the town’s elite arrive on a ceremonial boat. The festivities include multiple orchestras, a ballet company, and an extravagant banquet, while the Vicario house is renovated to accommodate guests. The wedding lasts several days, with Bayardo hosting dances, fireworks, and endless revelry.
Behind the glamour, Angela’s virginity is a secret. Pura Vicario insists on preserving honor, but Angela confides that she is not a virgin. Influenced by older women who assure her that men are impotent or that a “stain of honor” can be fabricated, she hides the truth. On their wedding night, Bayardo discovers the loss of virginity; his pride is wounded and he leaves abruptly, taking his possessions and abandoning Angela. The following night, Bayardo returns, blood‑stained and disheveled, to retrieve Angela, but she is already in a state of distress. He kisses Pura, thanks her, and departs again, never to return.
With the truth revealed, the Vicario brothers, Pedro and Pablo, feel compelled to restore family honor. After Angela names Santiago Nasar as the man who took her virginity, the twins arm themselves with knives concealed in newspaper and set out to kill him. They locate Santiago in the town square, where he is celebrating the wedding, and murder him. The murder is carried out swiftly; Santiago’s death is confirmed by witnesses, including Cristo Bedoya, who later calculates the exact cost of the wedding, matching Bayardo’s earlier prediction.
In the aftermath, the town is shocked. Bayardo’s sudden disappearance, the violent retribution, and the revelations about the Vicario family spread through gossip. The narrative notes the lingering impact: Bayardo’s reputation remains tarnished, Angela lives with the stigma of the accusation, and the Vicario brothers live with the burden of having executed the honor killing, shaping the community’s memory of the events. The chapter closes with reflections on how the festive celebration concealed the tragic sequence of betrayal, violence, and loss.