La Malinche

Lore & Background

When the Spaniards encountered Nahuatl-speaking emissaries at San Juan de Ulúa, Malinche's language skills were discovered. Cortés promised her 'more than liberty' if she helped him communicate with Moctezuma. She worked with Gerónimo de Aguilar, who spoke Yucatec Maya and Spanish, to translate: Cortés spoke Spanish to Aguilar, who translated into Maya for Malinche, who then translated into Nahuatl. The Nahua addressed Cortés as 'Malinche,' taking her as a reference point. She later gave birth to Cortés's son Martín, one of the first Mestizos in New Spain.

Reader's Guide

La Malinche's significance lies in her indispensable role as a multilingual interpreter—speaking Nahuatl and Maya—during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Historians emphasize her importance but disagree on why she assisted the Spanish. After Mexico's independence in 1821, dramas, novels, and paintings portrayed her as evil or scheming. Today in Mexico, she remains a powerful icon understood in conflicting ways: as treachery's embodiment, a quintessential victim, or the symbolic mother of the new Mexican people. The term 'malinchista' refers to a disloyal compatriot, especially in Mexico. Her legacy is contested, reflecting changing social and political perspectives over centuries.

Did You Know?

• Her birth name is unknown; she was baptized as Marina and called Malintzin by the Nahua.
• The title Tenepal likely derives from Nahuatl meaning 'one who speaks vigorously' or 'somebody’s tongue.'
• She was one of 20 enslaved women given to the Spaniards in 1519 by the natives of Tabasco.
• The Nahua addressed Cortés as 'Malinche,' using her as a point of reference for the group.