This image was taken from taringa.net (http://k07.kn3.net/4101D61DF.jpg). Assuming that I am right about the artist’s intention; I believe that this image portray Malintzin as the bad guy. Several reasons led me to believe this. From looking at this artwork I noticed that Malintzin look like a self-centered person. In this artwork Malintzin is riding a high horse with Cortez looking somewhat like a snob wearing a fine white dress. Her hand is touching her body in a way that makes her seem like an egomaniac who believes that she is important. Also the artwork seems to imply that Malintzin took advantage of Cortez lust. She is seen riding with him while the rest of the men are behind them. She rides like a damsel in the medieval period, leaning close to Cortez. Also the horse has his head down in this artwork which make it seems like he is suffering from having to carry both of them. Also the background shows a beautiful land. Cortez and Malintizin are riding a horse just stomping through this beautiful landscape. If I interpret this correctly I would say that this artwork want to convince us that Malintzin is a bad person who was drawn to the Spanish and betrayed her people.
Townsend would properly disagree with this artist. Townsend would say that she is not a traitor she just done whatever she could to survive “she did what almost anyone in her situation would have done” (42). She would also say that Malintzin is not an egomaniac because she never imagines herself as someone who would be in a history book “she would have never guessed that one of her names would be inscribed in world history” (2). She would also say that is artwork properly conform to 19th century belief that Malintzin was a traitor.
In this style of portrayal it seems almost like something from a medieval chivalric romance. The Noble Knight is played here by Cortez and Malintzin is the swooning damsel as you said. The difficulty here is then not that she is a betrayer, but a victim, swept off her feet by Cortez. She is portrayed as pure and innocent, symbolized by the white dress and her fair skin. It is a very Eurocentric portrayal, casting Malintzin as a victim of circumstance, rescued from barbarism by the noble European knight.
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