tt A HOJARASCA" was first published L in 1955. However, critics began to focus more attention on it after the publication of Cien afios de soledad in 1967.1 We must constantly bear in mind that La hojarasca represents the first step in an evolution of the novelist's writings which would culminate twelve years later in Cien aios de soledad. Garcia Mairquez pointed out the relationship between La hojarasca and Cien ahos de soledad in a conversation with Vargas Llosa in 1968: "La hojarasca fue el primer libro que yo publiqub cuando vi que no podia escribir Cien aios de soledad. Y ahora me doy cuenta que el verdadero antecedente de Cien afos de soledad es La hojarasca."2 Critics have also noted that the novels and short stories preceding Cien afios de soledad contain certain recurrent elements that receive varying degrees of development. It is primarily the history of the town of Macondo in La hojarasca which will be expanded in Cien aios de soledad: "En La hojarasca asistimos a la historia de Macondo desde su fundaci6n a su destrucci6n. Pero esta historia es tan s6lo un esbozo, que cobra interes tinicamente si la relacionamos con Cien aiios de soledad