Pedro Urdemales was known across towns and countryside as a man with empty pockets and a mind as sharp as a blade. He owned little more than the clothes on his back and the road beneath said clothes, yet wherever power pressed too hard upon the poor, Pedro’s name was whispered with quiet admiration. He lived in the margins of colonial society, drifting from village to village, observing carefully and speaking only when his words could be turned to advantage.
In one such town, Pedro arrived weary and hungry. The streets were busy with merchants, laborers, and officials whose polished boots and stern faces marked their authority. Pedro watched how landowners shouted orders, how clerks bent rules for coins, and how priests spoke of virtue while dining well. He lowered his eyes, appearing slow and harmless, and in doing so made himself invisible.
Pedro found work briefly with a wealthy landowner known for greed. Pretending not to understand instructions, Pedro followed them exactly as spoken rather than as intended. When the landowner demanded payment he had not earned, Pedro repeated the man’s own words back to him, calmly and politely. The gathered townsfolk laughed as the landowner realized he had trapped himself with careless speech. Unable to argue without exposing his dishonesty, the man was forced to let Pedro go, unpaid but undefeated.
In another village, Pedro encountered an official who demanded fees from the poor for services meant to be free. Pedro approached him humbly, asking for guidance in front of witnesses. By answering truthfully, the official revealed his corruption aloud. Pedro thanked him warmly and walked away as murmurs spread through the crowd. Again, Pedro gained no riches, only the quiet satisfaction of balance restored.
His boldest encounter was with a proud clergyman who mocked the poor while preaching humility. Pedro, posing as ignorant, asked simple questions about charity and justice during a public gathering. Each answer the clergyman gave contradicted his actions. The laughter that followed was not cruel, but cleansing, and Pedro slipped away before praise or punishment could find him.
Pedro Urdemales never became powerful, wealthy, or settled. He remained a wanderer, choosing freedom over status. His victories were small but meaningful, reminding people that intelligence could stand against oppression, and that dignity did not belong only to those in authority.
Moral Lesson
This folktale teaches that cleverness and moral awareness can challenge injustice even when power seems unreachable. True wisdom seeks fairness, not status, and often works best from the shadows.
Knowledge Check
1. Who is Pedro Urdemales?
Pedro Urdemales is a poor but clever trickster who survives through wit rather than wealth.
2. What kind of people does Pedro trick?
He targets abusive landowners, dishonest officials, and arrogant clergy.
3. Why does Pedro pretend to be ignorant?
His apparent ignorance causes powerful figures to reveal their own flaws.
4. Does Pedro gain wealth or power by the end?
No, he remains a wanderer, valuing freedom and justice over status.
5. What colonial tension does the story reflect?
The struggle between peasants and colonial authorities.
6. What lesson does the story teach?
Intelligence and adaptability can resist injustice without violence.
Source: Spanish folk tradition adapted in colonial Latin America; oral folktale collections
Cultural Origin: Mexico, Chile, Central America (Spanish Colonial Latin American folklore)
