La Malinche

This photo is actually from a movie cover for a movie submitted to a "make my movie" forum based in New Zealand. I noticed she has writing on her body and you see an array of words: Lust, Retribution, Seduction, Beauty, Scandal, Pain, Life. Often times memories and mental states can be evoked by particular material items, including people's actual physical being. The movie itself is about a Latin American immigrant girl in New Zealand, which surprised me, but, as the movie description says

"Cursed by her beauty, and hindered by culture shock, La Malinche is accosted by domineering men. Having travelled so far in search of freedom, her patience is wearing thin, and she is forced to make some punishing decisions..."

It seems relevant. What would Townsend say about this? Well, she would probably find it highly interesting, if not a bit of a distortion. This is clearly an image representing historical ideas about Malinche. In broad ways it might seem parallel to what Townsend is doing, just with a 21st century feel and an odd hook. The problem is of course that being an immgrant is different from having aided in the overthrow of an empire. It is ambiguous, much like Malinche. Another image, which Townsend might find more agreeable, perhaps reveals why this might be.

Malinche is a larger than life charater with many views about her. In this image it is fairly obvious to make out what is going on. Malinche is translating to Cortes what a Mexica lord is relaying in his message. I don't know if the palms being up or down signify something. Or if the messenger having palm down and clasping his heart means something either, pointing almost, but he seems tense either way. You also see a small indigenous boy holding a helmet and seems to be being instructed by a Spaniard. Malinche appears to be an adult, though she was probably no older than 19, most likely younger, at the time when a situation like this might take place. Also, the Spaniards were probably not as well-attired, the piece was probably painted well after the conquest period, but before the 1800s. The seeming dread in the indigenous lord may be a clue as to why people have polarized Malinche so much. Who knows what she really said. In a parallel situation in Peru there were two boy translators the Spaniards used, one the Topa Inca trusted to faithfully relay his message, the other he did not. Quite simply, certain groups of people and their descendants benefitted from Malinche's actions, others maybe not so much. Such as, perhaps, the girl in the first photo.