© Latinas in History 2008
The
indigenous mistress and companion of Hernán Cortés, conqueror of
Tenochtitlán, capital of the Mexicas, and other states in ancient Mexico,
was known as La Malinche. Supposedly born into a principal family, what we know
about Malinalli Tenepal comes from Bernal Diaz del Castillo’s account of
the Conquest of Mexico. A gift to the Spaniards in 1519, her Nahua and Mayan linguistic
abilities soon proved profitable in the conquest of new peoples including the
mighty Aztecs. Cortes fathered a son with Dona Marina, Malinalli’s Christian
name, and relied upon her intelligence and keen insights about the indigenous
world throughout the conquest. Dona Marina facilitated Cortes’ meeting with
Moctezuma, leader of the Aztecs and warned the Spaniards of Aztec treachery. She
was married off to Juan de Jaramillo, a man of good standing, when Cortes left
for the south. With Jaramillo, she had a daughter and it is believed she died
either in 1531 or 1551. Dona Marina occupies a central position in some of the
key codices or indigenous narratives of the conquest such as the Codices Florentino
and the Lienzo of Tlaxcala.
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"La
Malinche" - Harlot or Heroine? |
