Week 9 - Dan Weber

            I did a search for Dona Marina and Cortes and this was one of the first pictures that came up. Townsend would say that this is not an accurate portrayal of Malintzin and Cortes for several reasons. First, I am going to infer that this takes place during conquest because in the background on the right there are soldiers and temporary tents. As Townsend explains, Malintzin and Cortes did not have an intimate relationship at this time. Cortes new how important Malintzin was in the Conquest. He would not have risked her getting pregnant. In the picture, Cortes looks at Malintzin with lustful eyes while holding his hand over his heart. Also, they embrace each other via holding hands. This simply would not have been the case during the Conquest. Cortes would not have acted on his desires. It was not until after Tenochtitlan fell that she became pregnant with Cortes’s son.

            Another reason why Townsend would say that this is not an accurate depiction of Malintzin is because of her attire. Her dress appears to be European. As Townsend states, Malintzin wore traditional “Indian” clothing before, during and after the conquest. She looks as if she has been "Europeanized". Moreover, this picture seems to depict Malintzin as a traitor. She is happy to sit with Cortes, who is trying to conquer Mesoamerica.  This, however, was not the case. As we have read, Malintzin had no loyalty toward the Mexica and their allies. She did not see Moctezuma as her tlatoani and had never sworn allegiance to him. Thus, she was not a traitor. In all, this is an inaccurate picture of Malintzin.