View source for Clara Montoya

{{Infobox character
|name =  Clara Montoya
|image = File:ClaraMontoya.jpg
|imagewidth = 250px
|fullname = Maria Clara Montoya Romero<ref>In most Spanish-speaking countries of the time, children carry both the paternal and maternal surname. See [[Wikipedia:Spanish naming customs|Spanish naming customs]] on Wikipedia.</ref>
|firstappearance = ''[[Meet Josefina]]''
|father = [[Andres Montoya]]
|mother = [[Maria Montoya]] (deceased)
|aunt = [[Dolores Romero]]
|siblings = [[Ana Montoya]]<br>
[[Francisca Montoya]]<br>
[[Josefina Montoya]]
|grandparents = [[Felipe Romero]]<br>[[Maria Herrera]]
|nephew = [[Antonio Montoya]]<br>
[[Juan Montoya]]}}
'''Clara Montoya''' is the older sister of [[Josefina Montoya]].

==Personality==
Clara is twelve at the start of the series and the third oldest of the Montoya sisters. Illustrations show her with lighter brown hair compared to her sisters. 

Clara is careful, very practical, sensible, straightforward, and matter-of-fact with a flat, no-nonsense manner. This sometimes manifests as her being very pessimistic and cynical and not very childish, and openly doubting that things will go as hopefully or fancifully as her older sister Francisca and younger sister Josefina may think and disparaging their choices such as wanting toys and mirrors over something more practical like knitting needles. However, her attitude can be useful in situations when she is straightforward about topics that others talk around. 

She and Francisca have conflicting personalities (she thinks that Francisca dwells too much on her appearance, for example, and is neat and tidy where Francisca is messy) and the two consistently get in arguments with each other most often over small and petty things, especially after their mother's death. She does enjoy some playful things such as racing with Josefina and is free to be a little more childish, but cannot do things such as climb on the church roof to plaster mud with her feet like Josefina. Clara thinks the highest compliment she can pay anyone is that they are sensible and practical. 

However, she has moments of uncharacteristic emotion and impractically herself, in part because of her grief over her mother's loss. She does not think Christmas can be as good without Mama is devastated to see the damage to the altar cloth after water damage and mice have gotten to it due to the floods, and initially cannot bring herself to help with its restoration. She also lies about where [[Niña Doll|Niña]] is to Josefina and clings to the doll is as she is still grieving her mother's loss and feels that the doll is all she has of her late mother, hence her not passing her on to Josefina at eight as the tradition had been for the girls. She shows talent in embroidery and is the best at doing ''colcha'' embroidery out of all her sisters, the latter of which helps her move past her mother's loss and see she does have something her mother gifted her--her skills with the needle. She is skilled and careful with her sewing, knitting, and embroidery in a way her sisters are not. 

Clara, like Josefina, is too young to be allowed to dance at or attend large parties at the start of the series or even sit inside the grand sala. By the end of the central series--while still too young to dance at age thirteen--Clara is now allowed to sit inside the grand sala and watch the other dancers. 

==In the Books==

===''[[Meet Josefina]]: An American Girl''===

[[File:MeetJos1-1.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Clara with the washtub.]]
Clara is first spoken about; she and Francisca are having a fight over who will carry the washing tub. Clara loses the fight; she is seen carrying the tub out. Josefina offers to help her carry the tub and then suggests that they race to the stream. The two take off with the tub, get off their moccasins, and get into the river and splash Francisca and Ana. She agrees with Francisca (a rare thing) about the evening primroses and suggests that Josefina take some for her memory box. She begins to argue with Francisca again when she goes on about Tía Dolores's life in [[Locations in Josefina's Series#Mexico City|Mexico City]], pointing out that they hardly know her and that they have not seen her since she moved there ten years ago. When Francisca taunts that she was older and remembers her, Clara snaps back that if Tía Dolores remembers anything about Francisca, she won't want to live with her. She hopes that Abuelito has brought back a plow Papá needs; when Francisca calls her dull, she snaps back that Francisca thinks too much about how she looks and Josefina cuts them off before they can start squabbling again. They both agree that they would like chocolate, though. When the goat herd arrives, Clara points this out to Josefina as a surprise she won't like; when [[Minor Characters in Josefina's Series#Florecita|Florecita]] makes a beeline for Josefina, she tries to help shoo her off and suggests that Josefina throw a pebble at her. Josefina does not listen and ends up losing her primroses.
[[File:MeetJos3-1.jpg|thumb|250px|Clara and Josefina outside the gran sala.]]
She is in the kitchen helping Ana prepare the meal for the ''fandango'' they are holding, peeling, chopping and stirring. When Josefina and Francisca run back in to say the caravan in on the way, she goes with them to the tower. She goes down the greet her grandfather at the front gate and is close behind Josefina to greet Abuelito. He kisses all his granddaughters and greets them by name. She is as shocked by the appearance of Tía Dolores as the other sisters. Tía Dolores says that Clara was barely three when she left and asks if she remembers back then. She goes to listen to the piano playing and thanks Tía Dolores for playing afterwards.

Before the fandango, Clara ties her hair with one of the blue ribbons Abuelito has brought them. She unties and reties her sash and uncharacteristically asks if she looks all right. She beams and touches the ribbon when Francisca says she looks very pretty. She is too young to dance with the others and so sits outside the ''gran sala'' with Josefina. She says that Tía Dolores dances very well, and asks what is going on when Papá nods to Josefina to get her bouquet. She is already back inside by the time Josefina returns.

During the day with Tía Dolores, Tía Dolores praises her dyed wool and shows her a faster way to turn a heel in a knitted sock. Tía Dolores brings her a set of scissors and needles, which she likes for being both beautiful and useful. Clara says that Tía Dolores is sensible and hardworking, which is her highest praise. Clara is the one to point out, with no nonsense, that even if Tía Dolores is willing to stay that they can't ask her directly and must ask Papá to do so. She says she won't ask Papá and when she asks Josefina and Ana if they will do so, they both say no. When Josefina suggests they all go together, she doesn't move at first but finally comes with Josefina and Francisca. That night, she says that Francisca is silly to worry about if Tía Dolores will stay and they will find out in the morning. She is there and disappointed when Tía Dolores's trunk is loaded up, assuming that she simply does not want to stay there.

===''[[Josefina Learns a Lesson]]: A School Story''===

===''[[Josefina's Surprise]]: A Christmas Story''===

===''[[Happy Birthday, Josefina!]]: A Springtime Story''===

===''[[Josefina Saves The Day]]: A Summer Story''===

===''[[Changes for Josefina]]: A Winter Story''===

===''[[Josefina's Song]]''===

===''[[Thanks to Josefina]]''===

===''[[Just Josefina]]''===

===''[[Again, Josefina!]]''===

===''[[A Reward for Josefina]]''===

===''[[Secrets in the Hills]]''===

===''[[The Glowing Heart]]''===

===''[[Song of the Mockingbird: My Journey with Josefina]]''===

==Trivia==

* Clara is paired up with Josefina in [[Josefina's Paper Dolls II|Josefina's second paper dolls]], [[Josefina's Play Scenes and Paper Dolls]], and [[Josefina's Magnetic Mini World|magnetic world]]. Prior to the [[BeForever]] launch when Best Friends were still theoretically possible, it was theorized that she would be best chosen as a [[Best Friend Character]]. This would also be better as it would be culturally insensitive to create [[Mariana]]. 
* The neckline of Clara's camisa in her portrait resembles the neckline of [[Josefina's Night Shift]]. 

==References==
{{Refs}}

{{stub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montoya, Clara}}
[[Category:Josefina Montoya]]
[[Category:Siblings]]
[[Category:Major Characters]]

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''This page incorporates text from [https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Clara_Montoya the source wiki] ([https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?oldid=110990 exported version], [https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?title=Clara+Montoya&action=history contributor history]), under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ the original text license].''