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¿Quién es La Malinche? Beyond October 14*Carol Brochin, a Chicana who breaks stereotypes of Hispanic people by name and color.In contemporary feminist discourse and classrooms ŒLa Malinche¹ is seen as a central figure to Chicana feminism and Chicano culture. Many people, including Mexicans and Chicanos, have no idea who ŒLa Malinche¹ is and/or who she was in Mexican and Chicano history. The purpose of this essay is to briefly explain who ŒLa Malinche¹ is and why she is central to contemporary Chicana feminism. In 1519, Hernán Cortéz, a Spanish conquistador, landed on the coast of Veracruz, Mexico. The Aztec people thought that Cortéz and crew were gods returning to save them from eternal suffering. To help Cortéz on his journey through Mexico, the Aztec people presented twenty young women who would travel with Cortéz and his men. Among these young women was Malintzin Tenepal, an Aztec noble woman. The Spanish baptized Malintzin and gave her a Christian name, Marina. Doña Marina served Cortéz as lover, translator, and strategic advisor. She aided Cortéz in the conquest of the Aztec empire which consequently mobilized Spain¹s colonization of Mexico. Mexican, Mexican-American and Chicana/o communities have traditionally used the nationalistic symbol of La Malinche to polarize the lives of woman by attempting to control and visualize us. The term Malinchista is often used to describe a woman who acts out against pre-established rules and norms of her community and/or her man. The myth of La Malinche has been used to control women from being traitors to her race and/or her man, whether it be her father, husband, boyfriend, lover, or son. Over the past twenty years many Chicana feminist theorists have rewritten the Malinche myth in order to understand Malintzin in a more realistic context. This essay was taken from: |
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