Document 16.1: Lienzo de Tlaxcala, La Malinche Acting as an Interpreter, ca. 1550

Created by Tlaxcalan artists, the images in the Lienzo de Tlaxcala offer a rare opportunity to view the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and its aftermath from an Indian perspective. The scene included here shows Malintzin participating in a similar transaction to the one that resulted in her ownership by the Spanish. Cortés sits, armed men at his back. Moctezuma stands, but he, too, is accompanied by warriors. Malintzin is shown as part of the Spanish contingent, but she is leaning toward the Indians. The women and precious objects arrayed below the central figures are a gift from Moctezuma to Cortés. While Moctezuma has not yet been defeated, his gift of precious objects and female slaves signals a desire to avoid, or at least delay, a violent clash between his forces and those of the Spanish. As you examine the image, look for clues about Indian attitudes toward Malintzin. On which of the two sides shown here does she most belong?

image
(La Malinche [Doña Marina] acting as interpreter during the presentation of women and gold by Montezuma [1466–1520] to Hernán Cortes [1485–1547], illustration from a facsimile of a Mexican Indian picture history “Lienzo de Tlaxcala” [ca. 1550], 1892 [color litho], Mexican School [19th century]/Private Collection/Archives Charmet/The Bridgeman Art Library)

Questions to Consider

  1. What significance should we attach to the relative size of each of the people included in the image? What, for example, should we make of the fact that Malintzin is larger than Cortés?
  2. In your opinion, how did the artists intend us to see Malintzin? As an Indian or a European? As a servant or a traitor?