num_pages: 229
description: In 1519, Cortez and a handful of Spaniards, horses, and Indian allies marched across Mexico to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, and there, through cunning and force, brought death to the emperor Moctezuma and destruction to his mighty empire. And always at the side of the conqueror was a young Aztec woman, whom the people called Malinche.Her real name was Malinali, though the conquistadors called her Marina. Born a princess but sold into slavery by her own mother, and then given as tribute to Cortez, Marina became his translator, interpreter, confidante, and later, mother of two of his children. Like the emperor Moctezuma himself, she half-believed that the invincible man she followed was the beneficient god-king Quetzalcoatl. Aztec legend had promised his return from exile in the east to reclaim his kingdom from the usurping gods of war and death.As for Cortez, he knew very well that his campaign to bring Christianity to the Aztecs, and extract gold from them, could never have succeeded so quickly without Marina's skills in language and diplomacy, and her undying loyalty. He called her "my tongue," and declared, under oath, that after God she was his greatest aid in the Conquest.Today, the figure of Malinche is a curious creature - half legend, half history - lost in the folklore of Mexico. Was she a traitor to her people, a woman in love, a warrior princess, or a faithful servant manipulated by a ruthless man? Here her story is finally told, grounded in both Spanish and Aztec sources, and embedded in the rich culture and startling mores of her turbulent times. A well-crafted marriage of pure history and compelling storytelling, it restores a remarkable and resourceful woman to her place in history.
language: English
title: Malinche: Slave Princess of Cortez
titlecomplete: Malinche: Slave Princess of Cortez
ratings_count: 4
publisher: Linnet Books