Malintji

Malintji, also known as La Malinche, Malinalli, or Doña Marina, was a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast who played a key role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Born sometime between 1500 and 1505, she was enslaved as a child and eventually traded to the Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula, where she learned the Mayan language. In 1519, she was one of twenty enslaved women given to Hernán Cortés and his conquistadors.

Her ability to speak both Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs) and Mayan, combined with Gerónimo de Aguilar's knowledge of Mayan and Spanish, allowed Cortés to communicate with the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II. Malintji quickly learned Spanish and became Cortés's primary interpreter, advisor, and intermediary.

Malintji's linguistic skills, political acumen, and understanding of local customs proved invaluable to Cortés. She helped him navigate the complex political landscape of Mesoamerica, forge alliances with rival indigenous groups who resented Aztec rule, and gather intelligence about Aztec military strategies. She is credited with providing critical information that contributed significantly to the Spanish victory.

After the conquest, Malintji remained with Cortés and bore him a son, Martín Cortés, one of the first mestizos (people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry) in Mexico. She later married Juan Jaramillo, a Spanish captain, and had a daughter with him, María Jaramillo.

Malintji died around 1529, possibly from smallpox.

Her legacy is complex and controversial. In Mexico, she is a figure of both reverence and scorn. Some view her as a traitor who betrayed her own people, while others see her as a victim of circumstance who used her intelligence and skills to survive in a brutal and changing world. The term "malinchista" is used in Mexico to describe someone who prefers foreign cultures and ideas over their own. However, more recent interpretations emphasize her agency and survival in a context of immense power imbalances, portraying her as a skilled diplomat and survivor rather than simply a traitor. Her story continues to be debated and reinterpreted in Mexican history and culture.