Heritage as an idea of ​​self in Bless Me Ultima and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Traveling through humanity is a never-ending story. Traveling across ethnicity is an ever-changing journey. Is race or culture a matter of color? Is it a way of life? or a decision made by an individual? Is this an idea we have of ourselves? In the novels Bless Me Ultima (Anaya 1972) and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Alexie 1993), two different minority characters, Tony and Victor, give voice to their journeys of growing up and finding their place in the world. regarding their heritage. The characters in Anaya and Alexie's novels relate to a dominant culture, seek balance in their lives by seeking out the traditions of the past, and attempt to blend their heritage into the present, allowing them to transition into the future. Their paths differ depending on their heritage and family situation. Their journeys are parallel as they are both men, minorities, searching for individual identity, and searching for their place on the planet. Everyone seeks inner and outer peace. Although their journeys are different, they are the same. The characters in the two novels belong to two different cultures. In Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me Ultima, young Mexican-American Anthony Juan Marez y Luna (Tony) struggles between two ways of being Hispanic-Mexican-American while confronting dominant white culture. Tony's mother and father, although both born in New Mexico, come from two different cultures. His father, a Marez, comes from a long line of “Spanish conquistadores, men as restless as the seas they sailed and as free as the land they conquered” (Anaya 6). Tony's mother, a Luna, comes from...... middle of paper...... America, 1982. 80-167.Meacham, Jon. “Redefining Race in America.” Newsweek September 2000: 38-41. Mitchell, Carol. “Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima: Popular Culture in Literature.” Review: Studies in Modern Fiction. 17.1 1980, 55-64. Smoke signals. Real. Chris Eyre. With Adam Beach and Evan Adams. Miramax/Shadowcatcher. Prod. Larry Estes and Scott Rosenfelt. 1997. Tonn, Horst. “Bless Me, Ultima: A Fictional Response to Times of Transition. » Aztlan, 18.1 1987, 59-68. White, Craig. “American Minority Literature.” Handout. University of Houston-Clear Lake. Houston. August 24, 2000.- - - - - “American Minority Literature”. Remarks. September 27, 2000. Yancey, William L. Ericksen, Eugene P.; and Juliani, Richard N. “EmergentEthnicity: A Review and Reformulation.” American Sociological Review 41.3 1976: 391-403.