Character Relationship Map: 13 Curses

Characters

• Jacobo (played by Juan Diego Botto) — protagonist

  Protagonist and young sculptor. Returns to Santiago de Compostela to visit his mother, but becomes haunted by visions of his deceased father. He is manipulated into completing a cathedral sculpture, u...

• Mateo (played by Luis Tosar) — protagonist

  Antagonist and supernatural entity. Jacobo's father who died eighteen years ago. Appears as a ghost guiding Jacobo to finish a cathedral statue, but secretly intends to murder him and possess his body...

• María (played by Marta Etura) — supporting

  Jacobo's mother. Institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital after killing her husband, Mateo, under the belief that he was already dead. Her psychological state and tragic past are central to Jacobo'...

• Jacobo (Child) (played by David Álvarez) — supporting
• Claudia (played by Laura Mañá) — supporting

  Supporting character with a minor role in the narrative, possibly connected to Jacobo's personal life or the local setting.

• Raúl (played by Diogo Infante) — minor

  Supporting character, possibly an associate or friend within the story's setting.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Jacobo (Child) → Mateo (Family Father And Son) — The childhood exchange establishes Mateo's paternal connection to Jacobo before the ominous bell incident.

  The reference describes Mateo urging his young son Jacobo to draw and promising him a reward.

• María → Jacobo (Family Mother) — María's message prompts Jacobo's return to Santiago and reconnects him with the family history surrounding Mateo's death.

  María tells Jacobo that his mother has been hospitalized again; the character profile identifies María as his mother.

• Mateo → Jacobo (Family Father) — Their father-son bond shapes Jacobo's return and his fixation on completing Mateo's unfinished cathedral commission.

  The reference identifies Mateo as Jacobo's father and describes Mateo promising a reward to his young son.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Raúl → Jacobo (Narrative Informant) — Raúl gives Jacobo information about his mother's condition after Jacobo returns to Santiago.

  Raúl tells Jacobo that his mother has been sedated.

• Claudia → Jacobo (Alliance Supporter) — Claudia offers Jacobo support and access to Mateo's work, but later opposes placing Jacobo's completed sculpture in the Cathedral.

  The reference says Claudia tries to support Jacobo and shows him Mateo's final sculpture.

Story Analysis

Jacobo's return to Santiago draws him into his father's unfinished Cathedral sculpture and an unsettling conflict between supernatural influence, grief, and illness.

Plot Progression

1. The Ominous Childhood — Mateo urges young Jacobo to draw and promises a reward. A confrontation and thirteen bell strikes leave an ominous mark on the boy.
2. A Troubled Return — Eighteen years later, Jacobo returns after hearing about his mother's hospitalization. Warnings and news of sedation complicate his reunion with Santiago.
3. The Father's Commission — Claudia shows Jacobo Mateo's final sculpture and recounts Mateo's plans to leave with his son. Jacobo's own creative struggles draw him toward the unfinished Cathedral commission.
4. Bells Beneath the Surface — Jacobo hears voices and bells and fears both his mother's illness and the possibility of harming those close to him. His search for old murder records deepens his suspicions.
5. The Sculpture's Hold — A voice resembling Mateo urges Jacobo to finish the sculpture and warns of further loss. Jacobo completes it while Claudia opposes its placement in the Cathedral, leaving the source of the influence u...