La Malinche
La Malinche (c. 1505 near Coatzacoalcos; † around 1529 in Tenochtitlan ), indian Malintzin or Mali Alli called and baptized by the Spaniards on the name Marina, played as an interpreter and later mistress of the conquistador Hernán Cortés a significant role during the conquest of the campaign; was therefore also Cortés himself, as of Motecuzoma, " Malinche " called.
Name
The Spanish chroniclers mention their Indian names are not, in oral traditions it is usually called Malintzin or Mali Alli. This suggests that, as usual, among the Aztecs, at birth the name of the day on which they had come into the world got. Mali Alli is in the 260 -day ritual calendar tonalpohualli the twelfth of twenty " weeks " ( there was this " Sacred Calendar " meshed with the driven circulation on the sun xiuhpohualli with 360 days in most Mesoamerican peoples ). This known as a day-sign " week called" the number of days each was still preceded by ( in order from 1 to 13), ie about: Ce Mali Alli ( One grass).
It is not known whether the indigenous population has granted her the suffix " tzin " before or after it was given to Cortés. It expresses respect, appreciation and awe, and appeared frequently in connection with gods and nobles, such as Tonantzin ( "Our revered mother," epithet of the earth goddess Coatlicue ); Topiltzin ( " Our revered prince ," title of the priest prince Quetzalcoatl from Tula ); Matlalcihuatzin (name of the mother of Nezahualcoyotl, poet and ruler of Texcoco ).
When the Spaniards they only Doña Marina was called, and Cortés never called in his letters to the Emperor Charles V. differently. Usually, the Indian name was not included in the baptism of the natives, but this may have given their prominent position of similar sound played a role.
Life as a slave
Malinche was born, where their parents, which are attributed to the Indian nobility, are said to have ruled as caciques over Painala and other villages in 1505 near Coatzacoalcos ( on the Gulf coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec ).
Even as a child begins to run Malinches life tragic. After her father died, her mother remarried and had a son. Probably Malinches mother wanted to save her son instead of the firstborn Malinche the claim to the heritage of the family. Therefore, the girl was sold by her mother to Maya slave-traders from further east Xicalango. The mother spread the rumor that her daughter had died. Later Malinche must have been resold or deported to Tabasco. From Malinches time in Tabasco is not known.
After the expedition commanded by Cortés had gone ashore in 1519 in Tabasco, the Spaniards were attacked by the Maya, who were subject to the conquistadors, after a violent struggle. The defeated Indians gave Cortés then on March 15, 1519 as a sign of respect in addition to some treasures twenty slaves. Among them was Malinche.
After the slaves had explained the principles of the Christian religion, they were baptized and received Spanish names. Malinche was henceforth called Doña Marina. The city of Tabasco was renamed Santa Maria de la Victoria as part of these celebrations. After the baptism, the female slaves were distributed to the Spanish officers. Cortés Malinche gave to Alonso Hernández Portocarrero, one of his officers.
Interpreter of Hernán Cortés
On the island of Cozumel met the Spanish expedition to Gerónimo de Aguilar, a Spaniard who had lived for eight years as a slave in Maya captivity. He served Cortés first as its only interpreter. Soon, however, already seemed his services to become worthless, as the conquistadors, the dominion of the Aztecs entered, where they talked in contrast to the Maya Nahuatl. During this time, Cortés learned that both Malinche Nahuatl dominated - probably their native language - and the language of the Maya, whose slave she was been a long time. For Cortés this must have been a fluke, because only with Malinches help the communication with the Aztecs and their vassals had to make sure. Malinche knew the mindset of the peoples of Mesoamerica. Translated the words of Cortés and added often with their own, added explanations.
When Cortés arrived with his expedition in the aftermath speaking on Aztec or other Nahuatl nations, translated Malinche and Aguilar Nahuatl aztektischer or tlaxcaltekischer Messenger first in the Mayan language, and finally into Spanish. Soon Malinche learned Spanish herself, and the services Aguilar in this complicated chain of communication were superfluous. As an interpreter, she was always in the vicinity of Hernán Cortés, so that the conquistador was soon called by the Indians Capitán Malinche because they perceived him as their master.
Especially at the beginning of the campaign was Malinche in every battle right there and shared the danger of death by the Spaniards. When Cortés was attacked by the Tlaxcalans, they taught the men in the battle again when they lost courage. As Xicotencatl spies sent into the camp of the Spaniards, it was Malinche, the unmasked these men in the survey. Then Hernán Cortés had the TLAXCALAN spies hands cut off and sent it back in this condition.
Even with the historic meeting between Cortés and Moctezuma II, it was the slave Malinche, which raised the Aztec ruler over the voice and proclaimed the words of the conquistadors.
The importance of Malinche for Cortés is evident on the Noche Triste. In the loss-making flight from Tenochtitlán he left them together with other women from three hundred and thirty Spaniards Tlaxcaltecs protect. Malinche reached in the vanguard as one of the first the safe shore. Many other women and two-thirds of the Spanish armed forces lost their lives that night.
By Malinches interpreting services Cortés came to crucial information and could by diplomacy, the cacique of peoples who were originally the Aztec tributary to win as his allies. Finally, a majority composed of Indian soldiers fighting force, the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City in August 1521 was able to conquer.
Malinche was probably from the summer of 1519 the mistress of Hernán Cortés. In 1522 she bore him a son, Martín, who should grow up, however, separated from his mother.
In 1523 Malinche met her brother and her mother again, which they had sold into slavery. The two had converted to Christianity and now called Lázaro and Marta. Malinche was at that time the most powerful woman in New Spain and had incredible influence on Cortés. With great fear of the brother and the mother met her in Painala, Malinches birthplace near Coatzacoalcos. At this meeting they feared for their lives, but Malinche forgave them.
On October 20, 1524 married Malinche Juan Xaramillo de Salvatierra, an officer of Cortés ' environment during the Hondurasfeldzuges. After her return, she lived with her husband until her death (probably in 1529 ) in Tenochtitlan. With Xaramillo de Salvatierra she had another child, her daughter María. From this time fewer sources are known to be from the period of the campaign Cortés against Moctezuma; her year of death is not clearly documented. The circumstances of his death are unknown.
While Cortés Malinche mentioned only fleetingly in his letters and later writings, the report, the Bernal Díaz del Castillo, a soldier Cortés ', wrote in his History of the Conquest of Mexico, represent those essential source for the biography Malinches until the conquest of Tenochtitlán How Malinche was important for the Spaniards, is easy to imagine only approximate. Bernal Díaz del Castillo writes:
" This woman was a crucial tool in our exploration. Many things we can accomplish assistance and their help only with God. Without them we would not have understood the Mexican language, numerous activities we would without them can not perform. "
Malinche and today's Mexico
In Mexico today the Indian Malinche enjoys a very divided value estimate, some see it as even one of the most controversial women in world history. While written after the conquest of the Aztec and tlaxkaltekischen chronicles still recorded a positive image of Malinche, since the advent of the Mexican nationalism, the term in the 19th century malinchismo for the betrayal of his own people. See other Mexicans in it, which is mistakenly referred to as mother of the first mestizo, a kind mother of the nation ( the Mestizos are now the majority of the Mexican population is ). Both attitudes are sure to be regarded as modern perspectives that require a Mexican nation or want to emphasize their specificity by the demarcation of the land of conquistadors; a nation that is, as they did not exist, at least at the time Malinches.
Malinches iridescent CV let them go down in folklore and legends of Mexico. How to perform many towns in Mexico on annual Malinche dances; the character of la llorona ( the weeping ), whose restless spirit wandering in the streets of Mexico City and weeping for her children, is often associated with Malinche.
Malinches name also carries a volcano in Tlaxcala, the fifth highest mountain in Mexico, who was previously named after a tlaxkaltekischen rain goddess.
La Malinches house where Cortés and his Indian mistress once lived still stands in a neighborhood of Coyoacán.