Who is Zoila - Mother from Caramelo, or, Puro Cuento: A Novel and what is their importance?

Zoila is Celaya's mother is a Mexican-American woman from Chicago. She grew up embracing American pop culture. She is a darker skinned Mexican, and her Spanish is not as good as her English. These traits make her mother-in-law despise her, in addition to stealing away some of Inocencio's attention from his mother. As Zoila grows older she turns her back on the church and sees the disparities between man and woman. She becomes upset with her domestic lifestyle and starts listening to women's rights activists and people who think outside the box. Her ideas become increasingly more liberal with every day that passes, yet she still cannot give up her past.