La Malinche

La Malinche — page 5 — 8 LA MALINCHE Malinche’s story is unlike most women’s of her time She was able to do things forbidden to most women like travel explore and speak with important leaders The support of a powerful man Hernán Cortés the Spanish conqueror of Mexico enabled her to do this Their part nership resulted in the complete takeover of Mexico by the Spanish Cortés could not have achieved his goals without her knowledge and assistance Malinche can be compared to Pocahontas in America She was a native Mexican Indian who guided a foreigner in her land She translated for Cortés not only the local lan guages but also the meanings behind the words It is said that she was always by Cortés side and she was certainly of great importance to his mission It is possible that he would not have succeeded so quickly without her Also like Pocahontas most of the story of Malinche’s life is uncertain or has become something of a myth None of her writings if there were any have survived She is only briefly mentioned in other historical documents including those of Cortés Most of what we know about Malinche was passed down orally and changed over time Unlike Pocahontas who is seen in a positive light by most Americans Malinche is a controversial figure among Mexicans Some see her as a heroine who tried to make the colonization of Mexico as peaceful as possible Others think she is a traitor to native Mexicans who sold out her people to save her own life Perhaps there is some truth to both viewpoints Her story is fascinating and unusual like those of most women who changed history

La Malinche — page 6 — MALINTZIN FROM WEALTH TO SLAVERY A round the year 1501 a girl named Malintzin was born in the village of Painalla in the Coatzacualco province located on the Yucatan Peninsula of present-day Mex ico Her father was a cacique a wealthy and influential man of the Nahua peoples which included the Aztecs This group was very powerful and had a large empire The Aztecs had organized governments and religion social classes and a trading economy They also kept excellent written records EARLY LIFE Although historians don’t know a lot about Malintzin or Malinche as she came to be widely known we can guess what her early life was like by looking at the lives of other people in the upper class As the daughter of a noble Malinche would have worn clothes of cotton a fine fabric at the time She would have had a variety of foods to eat beyond the local corn and beans because her family could afford imported food Her home would have been made 9 CHAPTER ONE

La Malinche — page 7 — 10 LA MALINCHE As a daughter of a wealthy man Malinche would have been used to wearing fine clothes It is likely that she dressed that way with Cortés

La Malinche — page 8 — MALINtzIN FroM WEALtH to SLAvEry 11 THE MANY NAMES OF MALINCHE The woman we call Malinche has been called many different names Some of this is the result of mistranslations or mispronunciation by non-native speakers Her birth name was Malinali The formal version of this name which would be used by the native peoples of Mexico was Malintzin The Spanish invaders who did not have an ear for her language misheard it as Malinche She was later also referred to as La Malinche The Spaniards gave her the name Marina when she was baptized because it was a Christian name Doña was added to it as a sign of respect Although she was a slave she was regarded highly by her captors In a twist on gender roles the native Mexicans often referred to Hernán Cortés as El Malinche or Lord Malinche as if he had taken her name out of stone and contain many rooms Her family’s wealth allowed them to have servants so she could spend her time getting some education rather than doing chores at home Aztec children were taught to be polite respectful honest and to have self-control They should always be well behaved Tragedy struck her family when she was young Her father died and her mother remarried soon after At this time a woman needed a husband to protect and support

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