La Malinche (circa 1502-153?) is one of the two central female figures in Mexico's historical iconography - the other woman is Our Lady of Guadalupe, a somewhat more-than-human competitor for the honor (Gonzales 229). La Malinche holds her own against the Blessed Virgin as a mythic figure in Mexican history, however. She was, factually, the translator/cultural interpreter who crucially aided Hernßn CortTs in his conquest of the Aztec Empire. As his mistress during that time, bearing him a son, La Malinche was also one of the most visible progenitors of the Mestizo - the race of mixed-blood Spanish-Indians who represent the core of Mexican society. Since the wars for independence from Spain and, later, France, La Malinche has been vilified by the epithet "malinchist," a derogatory term used to signify one contaminated by foreign influences - for she is considered the betrayer of the indigenous civilization destroyed by the Conquest (Alba 13, 248-249). She is honored by Chicana feminists as "La Llorona," the symbolic victim of machismo, the Mexican male's code of bullying honor (Anaya 81-89; Cypress 141). The Spanish conquistadors also honored her - as "Do±a Marina," an Indian princess of noble blood fitting to stand by their side in conquest (Cypress 26-40; Dfaz 66-67). Modern Mexican nationalists call her La Chingada, the violated one, and cry "Viva Mexico, hijos de La Chingada" - Long live Mexico, sons of La Chingada (Paz 65-88). So many different characterizations serve to underscore the centrality of La Malinche in Mexican history and culture. Can one person be all those things? Or, has the impulse for nation-building myths transformed an obscure personal episode in the life of conquistador Hernßn CortTs into a convenient legend tailored to fit the needs of modern Mexican culture? This paper will answer a qualified "Yes" to both questions. La Malinche was an important, multi-faceted historical figure and, yes, her sto...