Laura Esquivel—Reconquering Malinche

By Adriana Lopez -- Críticas, 2/15/2006

For her role as Hernán Cortés’s interpreter and lover, La Malinche, the title character of Laura Esquivel’s latest novel, is widely considered a traitor of the Mexican people. But this ambitious novel puts her in a dramatically different light. In the lyrical prose that has made Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) one of the top-selling Spanish-language books in the States, Esquivel portrays Malinche as an intelligent woman who overcame her condition as a slave to take part in a crusade that she believed would liberate her from the Aztec rule.

Esquivel talked to Críticas about Mexico’s need to revise its history and embrace the Conquest, not as a tragedy in its past, but as the beginning of a wonderful and unique new culture. Under this light, La Malinche becomes a heroine, a role model. Esquivel notes: “It is important to see [the Conquest] with different eyes and, hopefully, discover that the blood in our veins is the blood of all bloods; that our skin contains all colors; that our eyes contain all glances; that in Mexico, for the first time, the history of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America came together.”

What drew you to Malinche? Tell us about the research you conducted to write this novel.

It actually wasn’t my idea. The editors at Santillana Mexico, who will publish this book for Latin America, contacted me with the idea of writing a novelized biography of Malinche. I loved it! Of course, the project ended up being more difficult than what I had imagined. I spent two years doing research, all with the help of my husband, Javier Valdés.

What new information on Malinche’s life did you discover that illuminates her character and legacy?

There is little information on Malinche. What we know about her is based on the chronicles of the Conquest, which usually devote only a couple of pages to her character. So my task was to imagine Malinche’s personality, how she thought and how she interpreted what she saw. I believe that one’s personality affects one’s perception of the world, and that, before judging a person’s behavior, one must analyze their beliefs. By doing this with Malinche, my vision of her changed drastically. She ceased being the satanical woman I grew up hearing about to become a complex human being; an intelligent woman who knew how to overcome her condition as a slave and as an object in order to become an active subject in the Conquest.

Has Malinche’s reputation in Mexico or worldwide changed in recent years?

I ignore how Malinche is viewed around the world. I don’t know if she is even known or talked about, but I’ve definitely changed the vision I had of her. In Mexico, most people consider Malinche a whore and a traitor; they view her as the agent who allowed the Spanish conquest of Mexico to occur. I don’t believe this was the case. The Aztec Empire established itself by force, generating a lot of resentment from all the tribes it had taken under its vast umbrella of power. The Spaniards didn’t succeed because they had horses or gunshots. They wouldn’t have survived the fierce Aztec army if it weren’t for the support of oppressed tribes that wanted freedom from the Aztec rule and its heavy taxes. Malinche served as an interpreter because she was a slave and had no choice. But she also did it for personal interest. I believe she was convinced it was necessary to overthrow the Aztec Empire that had betrayed the spiritual legacy of her Mayan ancestors, in particular the worship of Quetzalcóatl.

You included a bibliography in the book. Why did you choose to write a novel and not a biography?

Because to write a biography you need bibliographic material and, as I mentioned earlier, the information on Malinche does not exceed two pages. I had not choice but to novelize her life and base the book on historical fact. Most of what I studied had to do with the history, religious thinking, and the astronomical, biological, and cosmological beliefs of her time.

Do you think there is a divide between the sexes when it comes to supporting or castigating Malinche’s role in history?

No, because both men and women consider her a traitor.

Do you have plans to bring your novel to the big screen?

If a producer is interested, definitely.

Was Malinche a feminist ahead of her time? Should Latinas embrace her as a role model?

Malinche came from a culture that contemplated duality as the basis of religious faith—all the gods had a masculine and a feminine representation—and she probably resented the Aztec Empire for betraying this spiritual tradition. Before falling into Cortés’s hands, Malinche had already been “given away” twice as a slave. What vision of femininity did she have? I wondered. What did she think it meant to be a woman in that empire? And what did she think about a government that allowed that type of oppression? These questions were the basis for developing her character. I would love it if my Malinche became a role model for those women today who must “conquer.” Women living in two worlds who must leave their land and belongings to cross the borders of places where they are not well received, where human rights are not respected. Women who wish to overcome their condition of “slaves” in an economy that annuls them, that ignores them. That would be beautiful… that a character that doesn’t exist helps women—and even men—exist.

Does this novel challenge the traditional idea that Mexicans are the offspring of Cortés and Malinche; that they represent the Adam and Eve of Mestizo culture?

In the collective subconscious, Malinche plays the role of the mother and Cortés the father, and if we think that she was a traitor and a whore and that he was a thief and an assassin, what does that make us? I think that it is important to change our perception of the Conquest. We must stop seeing ourselves as “victims” of the Spanish. The process of the conquest was painful, yes, but it was also the basis of a wonderful cross breeding. It was the encounter of two worlds, of two belief systems. The Aztec Empire gave up to an idea, not to a group of soldiers. Their reverence of the Spanish and the way they gave up their empire are proofs of how certain they were that the Spanish were returning gods coming from eternity to reclaim their land and people. The Aztecs must have felt a lot of guilt and fear of punishment for having betrayed the spiritual heritage of the Toltecs, and these feelings influenced the outcome of the Conquest. Similarly, the idea we have about our past affects our self-esteem. How can we ever be good if our parents were so evil? This is the type of thinking that we must change. It is important to revise history, to see it with different eyes and, hopefully, discover that the blood in our veins is the blood of all bloods; that our skin contains all colors; that our eyes contain all glances; that in Mexico, for the first time, the history of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America came together. If we saw things this way, wouldn’t we feel proud of our past?

Giving a personality to a historical figure involves a great deal of responsibility because many readers will learn about that figure for the first time in the novel, more than in reference or history works. How did you deal with the task of staying true to history while constructing Malinche’s personality?

What I learned as I was writing the novel is that history changes; that every new discovery forces us to adjust our scale of values and our knowledge. We all have a responsibility to search for answers, to be interested in our past and, when necessary, to get rid of misconceptions. That’s not only my responsibility as an author. I think it’s possible to construct a better world by searching for answers within oneself. Our ancestors believed that the center of the cosmos is inside each one of us. I agree with them, and I hope that anyone who reads this book is encouraged to search for their own center.