Myth of La Malinche in Mexican History
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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 Hern羧 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帶 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 s
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later history of Mexico would develop a strong, censuring attitude toward the Malinche-CortTs relationship - imposing a Roman Catholic morality on a pre-Christian context and depicting La Malinche as a defiled "whore" in contrast to purity of the Blessed Virgin - at the time both participants very easily entered into the relationship (Gonzales 229-249). La Malinche was baptized and christened "Do帶 Marina." She remained CortTs' mistress, and in 1522, after the Conquest, bore him a son, Martin. The son was never treated as a bastard; when La Malinche married the conquistador Juan Jamarillo a few years later, CortTs brought Martin to Spain to be reared as a nobleman.
This racial and moral equanimity is one of the key historical points to be made in an examination the Malinche-CortTs story - especially vis-a-vis the Mexican tradition that casts her as "La Chingada," the violated one. In the paradox of his career, CortTs was very sincere in his respect for the civilization he was destroying. His letters spoke of Tenochtitlan's grand monuments and the Aztec's accomplishments; he encouraged his conquistadors to marry Indian noblewomen. Racism was apparently not one of CortTs' vices, perhaps a result of the Christian-Moor-Jew mi
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3730
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)
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