Project 4A

The Colonial Period (1492-1810) is the era that shaped what Latin America is today. In the Colonial era, native populations were wiped out and exploited by the Spanish. The natives power structures were replaced and history was rewritten. The Spanish are only the most famous of the European powers that fought over territories and colonies, but the Portuguese, British, Dutch, French and others were also involved. The Colonial Period were basically the formative years of Latin America as the natives were highly influenced by the European settlers.



La malinche was an indigenous woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, who with Hernán Cortéss and played an important role in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. She actied as an interpreter, advisor and intermediary. The term Mestizo was derived from this woman wo had a child with Hernan Cortes. Mestizo is mixed European and native idigenous American.



Today, La Malinche remains as an icon. It is often viewed in various and often conflicting aspects, including the embodiment of treachery, the quintessential victim, or simply as symbolic mother of the new Mexican people. In modern times, she is sometimes viewed with the virgin Mary, and soldaderas which are Mexican woman that fought next to the men in the Mexican Revolution. She is also referred to as La Chingada, or traitor to the Mexican race.



La Malinche played a very important role in theconquest of Mexico as a translator, translating Nahuatl and Chontal Maya language. She was among twenty slaves and her striking appearance appealed to Cortes, and he decided she was too striking to be looked out after except anyone but him. She would aware Cotres of native plans to destroy the small Spanish army and often played along with the natives and lead them into traps.



Clip: La Malinche clip 2

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Malinche



I choose this topic because i was interested in her role in the spanish conquest and how she transitioned from being a slave to having a very imporant role. The movie explains how this came to be.



3 interesting facts:



She was among twenty slaves and her striking appearance appealed to Cortes, and he decided she was too striking to be looked out after except anyone but him. She was initially intended as a gift, but as she learned to translate better and better she developed herself as an active role in the conquest of Mexico.



She is also referred to as La Chingada, or traitor to the Mexican race. She was deceitful to the native people with whom she spoke their tongue and often told Cortes of their premeditated plans.



In the fictional Star Trek universe, a starship, the USS Malinche was named for La Malinche.