Malintzin, La Malinche, Dona Marina

(http://concienciafeminista.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/la_malinche.png?w=584)

La Malinche the  slave, interpreter, secretary, mistress, mother of the first "Mexican" her very name still stirs up controversy.    Today in Mexico there exist two conflicting images of “La Malinche” in one she is seen as a traitor, and a conniving seductress, and the other being  a mother, and a victim of Cortes conquest of the Aztec Empire. The latter approach feminist and its an attempt to portray Malinche as she might have existed, in essence to be humanized and not seen as "La Chingada". In this imagine, Malinche is standing behind Cortes with her arms extended out. Behind her are the Christian cross and what appears to be a Spanish sword. In the imagines around her, we see snippets of the Spanish arrival in Mexico (La Niña, La Pinta and La Santa Maria, Corn, Aztec Calendar, and Cortes meeting Moctezuma among others. The imagines behind and around her depict what Malinche's world might have been like based on what we know of the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. 

 I firmly believe that Townsend would agree with the depiction of Malinche in this picture. Unlike many other images of her that have displayed her as a conniving seductress and the symbol of betrayal, here she appears to be stuck more at a crossroads. The girl who was sold to slavery and then given to Cortes along with 18 other girls as a offering by the Yucatec Mayas all of a sudden has come to life. Malinche has come to be such a significant symbol in Mexican history as she is believed to be the mother of the "first Mexican" (Martin). She played such a central role and thus is why she is depicted bigger than Cortes. Her ability to speak Nahuatl and Yucatac Maya allowed her to communicate to Aguilar who was able to translate to Cortes, eventually however she learned Spanish. 

Townsend would agree with this picture as accurately describing the life. She looks in despair in the picture, and is just following Cortes and aiding him for her own survival. I believe that it was either help Cortes or die for Malinche. We have to remember that she was given away twice in her life, and that  in Mesoamerica constant warfare meant death was eminent. In being with Cortes however, at least her safety was ensured, and her status was elevated as she was able to translate for him. This came at a price, and eventually Malintzin realized that she was not happy with herself and in life in general. Her struggles, pains and emotional state come to be depicted accurately in this picture.