Juan Preciado narrates the parts of Pedro Paramo that are set in the present. He speaks to his dying mother, and she encourages him to go to a small town in rural Mexico named Comala. There, she says, he will be able to meet his long-lost father, Pedro Paramo. She wants Juan to claim “what’s ours” (1). Though he is reluctant, Juan promises his dying mother that he will go. Gradually, he convinces himself to follow through on his promise.

Juan travels to the “sorry-looking” (2) Comala in the scorching August heat. On the way, he meets a donkey driver named Abundio Martínez. In the distance, he can see the rundown town of Comala. It is not like his mother described. Juan tells Abundio that he wants to visit Comala to find his father, Pedro Paramo. Abundio says that no one visits Comala; the town has been dead for many years.

Abundio also speaks about Pedro; not only did he once meet the man at a crossroads, but Pedro is also his father. Juan and Abundio are half brothers. As they walk toward Comala, Abundio warns that Comala will be even warmer.