Ramun Salazar

Ramun Salazar is the sixteen-year-old protagonist of The Black Pearl. He is shorter than average and slight with slender wrists. Ramun is unlike his father, who is burly, to the older man's chagrin. Ramun's reddish hair often sticks up like a rooster's comb. Ramun lives at home with his mother and sisters, although they play little part in the narrative. Mr. Salazar is one of the wealthiest men in La Paz, and the family has a large home with many servants. Ramun's father recently accepted him as a full partner in the family pearl business, now called Salazar and Son. Despite the huge celebration, Ramun is surprised to find that he still does not feel like a man.

Ramun wants to learn to dive for pearls. He longs to find a huge gem, the fabled Pearl of Heaven, to prove his maturity. His father has long promised...