There is no getting around it—the real "beauty" of the north is Nayeli's journey there. She is constantly amazed by the beauty of California, which is undeniably beautiful without a doubt, but truly, the greatest beauty is that Nayeli saw a problem facing her community, and having sought wisdom from her family and her religious community, she decided to set out on a journey to fix the problem. She is a true hero of the highest kind, because she doesn't let anything deter her from pursuing the well-being of her community.
Remember that Nayeli has real reason to fear that their town might get targeted by the cartels. When that happens, the town can easily become oppressed by a tyrannical kingpin, especially since their town has literally zero men in it. Why? Because the economy has sent them all north to work in America and send the money back home. How will Nayeli solve this problem? Well, she can't single-handedly fight off the cartel, but she chooses to have a little faith—perhaps if she can bring just seven men home, then maybe the cartel will look somewhere else. She brings back 27 men, a sign of her bountiful success.
This is undeniable evidence that stories where women are the hero are absolutely beautiful, true, and valuable. By including Tacho's side story in this analysis, we can say that Into the Beautiful North treats its characters as inherently powerful, competent, and successful—not because of gender or sexuality, but because they are courageous.
