Malinche's Conquest

Malinche was the Amerindian translator for Hernán Cortés—from her lips came the words that triggered the downfall of the great Aztec Emperor Moctezuma in the Spanish Conquest of 1521. In Mexico, Malinche’s name is synonymous with “traitor,” yet folklore and legend still celebrate her mystique. The author traverses Mexico and delves into the country’s extraordinary past to excavate the mythologies of this exceptional woman’s life. Malinche—abandoned to strangers as a slave when just a girl—was taken by Cortés to become interpreter, concubine, witness to his campaigns, mother to his son, yet married to another. She survived unimaginably precarious times relying on her intelligence, courage, and gift for language. Though Malinche’s words changed history, her own story remained untold, until now.