Santa María de las Nieves is a remote, high-security psychiatric clinic whose polished interior sharply contrasts with its fortified approach. It is where Amaia Salazar’s mother, Rosario Iturzaeta, is committed by court order, and where the rules governing her visitors and care are tested by an attack on a staff member.

Setting and Security

The clinic stands on high, open ground outside the town, in an area cleared of trees. Its security begins with a tall wall whose prison-like appearance is barely softened by ornamental trees. Visitors pass a barred gate, a guard’s booth, a vehicle barrier, and surveillance cameras. From outside, the institution seems designed to guard a great treasure; behind its walls are patients’ disturbed minds.

Inside, the impression changes. Amaia enters through a French-style garden into a spacious reception area resembling a hotel lobby. A uniformed nurse stands where a hotel receptionist might be, while police are present during Amaia’s visit. The contrast between the welcoming interior and the controlled perimeter makes the clinic’s dual character visible: it offers a refined setting, but its purpose is custody and security.

Rosario’s Admission and Visitors

Rosario is brought to the clinic under a judicial order requiring her admission to a high-security psychiatric facility. Flora handles the arrangements. Amaia, visiting for the first time, finds that the institution is more impressive than she had expected and appears to reflect the level of care Flora’s money can secure.

The clinic’s visitor records expose a conflict within the family. A staff member tells Amaia that Rosario authorized four visitors: Flora, Rosaura, Javier, and Amaia herself. Amaia is startled to discover that she is on the list. Flora, however, angrily rejects the entry for Javier Salazar, insisting that no such brother exists and condemning the clinic for allowing a stranger to visit. The records thus make access to Rosario more than a matter of administration: they bring hidden or disputed family identities into the institution’s controlled space.

The Attack on a Caregiver

The clinic’s security does not prevent a patient from attacking a member of staff. According to the account given to Amaia, the incident occurred at about half past seven in the evening. After watching television and eating dinner in her room, the patient was being helped into bed by a caregiver because she needed assistance. She drew a sharp object from beneath her pillow and stabbed him in the lower abdomen, causing severe bleeding.

The caregiver wore an alert bracelet, similar to those used by victims of domestic violence to signal an attack. He pressed its button, and colleagues arrived within seconds to administer emergency treatment. His condition was serious, but the staff expected him to survive. The details underline the tension between the patients’ need for close care and the danger that can arise within a secure institution: even a routine act of helping someone into bed becomes a point of vulnerability.

Role in the Story

Santa María de las Nieves brings Amaia’s family history into a setting organized around observation, restricted access, and institutional records. The visitor list gives concrete form to the dispute over Rosario’s family, while the attack demonstrates that the clinic’s layered precautions cannot guarantee safety. Its polished reception and carefully controlled thresholds hold together two opposing images: a place arranged to appear comfortable and a facility designed to contain people considered dangerous.