Though Silko's story is very short, a lot happens and is implied. The two young Native American men, Leon and Ken, find the old man, Teofolio, dead under a tree. The rising action is the appearance of the Roman Catholic priest, who will challenge both implicitly and complicitly, the ancient death rituals. The climax occurs when the priest agrees to sanction the death by sprinkling Teofolio's body with holy water, even though his tribe has prepared him for burial in the traditional ways...painting his face, facing him the proper direction, etc.
This blending of the new and the old gives Ken, Leon, and the tribe comfort that one of their own has been admitted into heaven by whatever means necessary.
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