La Malinche Research Paper

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La Malinche was born between 1496 and 1505, the exact year is unknown in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. She was born to a father who was the chief of the village Paynala, and do to her position of birth, she was educated which was rare for a girl to obtain an education at the time. Unfortunately for her, her father passed away when she was very young and this tragic event changed her life forever. Later on her mother remarried to another chief and soon after gave birth to a son after the birth of her half-brother she was no longer welcome in the home. It is said that her mother and new step-father feared that Malinches presence would threaten their son's future as chief and inheritance. To take her out of the equation her mother and step-father faked …show more content…

While she was with the Tabascans indians conquistador Hernan Cortes had arrived in Mexico and got in a battle with the Tabascans indians and won. As a present the Tabascans indians gave Cortes twenty female slaves to do as he wished La Malinche was one of them later on christened as Dona Marina by Cortes. After that point Cortes learned about Malinches abilities to speak Mayan and Aztec and became his right hand women, consultant and mistress. She became an essential part of the Spanish conquest translating and teaching cortes about the people he had no idea about. She became Hernan Cortes bilingual leader in the conquest. In a letter to the king Cortes writes, “After God we owe this conquest of New Spain to Dona Marina.” Many argue that shes significant because without her skills the Mexican conquest would have had a different outcome. Others say she's the reason why thousands of lives were saved by her advising both Cortes and indigenous leaders to negotiate instead of bloodshed. It is important to know that even though many considered her to be a traitor, many Chicana women considered her to be an outstanding historical figure, one who used her linguistic skills to secure her

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