The conquest/colonial era refers to when the Spanish conquistadors invaded the native Latino population. This period existed roughly from 1492 to 1810. The native population was wiped out from the bloody conquest when the Spanish arrived. The population in Mexico's central valley was about 19 million before the Spanish conquerers arrived. In 1550, it dropped to only 2 million! Smallpox was the main cause of death however. The natives did not have any defenses to smallpox. Under the spanish rule, native religion, as well as culutre was repressed supremely. The "conquistadors", or spanish conquerers were given "encomiendas", which (in reality) granted slavery rights. Basically, the colonists exploited Native Latino history and culture throughout time.
I chose the topic of La Malinche because I was interested after, I saw the youtube.com video about her. Naturally, I wondered who she was, since I couldn't understand the Spanish interpreters. She first appeared in April, 1519, when Malinche was introduced to the Spanish among other slaves to the dominant Spaniards. Cortes supposedly found her too attractive for others to take care of. She became the sole interpreter for Cortes. Malinche led natives into traps when they planned to destory the Spanish army, and she alerted Cortes of the danger as well.
Her role in the conquest of Mexico is seen through quotes of other conquistadors: "Without the help of Dona Marina (La Malinche) we wouldn't have understood the language of New Spain and Mexico." writes an old soldier Bernal Diaz del Castillo. Many other records report that Marina, after God, was the main reason for Cortes' success.
Malinche's figure in present day Mexico has developed into a mythical archetype that Latin artists represent in different pieces of artwork. Her image represents the social, cultural, and historical dimensions of Latin American culture. Some Mexican people visualize her as a founding figure of the Mexican race, other see her as a traitior (hence the nickname, La Chingada)
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malinche
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/coloniallatinamerica/p/colonialera.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQU4CXqrbDs&feature=related
These sources are credible because they represent (more or less) the same information that other websites held. The websites that I got this information off of were professional as well.
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Dear Erik:
Yes Malintzin (Malinche) is a very important 'persona' in the conquer of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, an the language, and love she had for Cortes and viceversa.
But also very very important is the myth about the returning of Quetzalcoalt.
And also that Cortes didn't came to conquer the aztecs, in Cuba they didn't know about their existence. He came looking for the strait in the 1507 map of Waldseemüller, now in the Library of Congress in Washington, that is why he came with Anton de Alaminos pilot of Colon, and he conform and expedition of 'carpenters' and navigators instead of soldiers and that is why he could conquer Mexico-Tenochtitlan with '13 bergantines' constructed by his carpenters at more than two thousand meters above sea level. Sincerely, Rafael. rafaelgn0202@gmail.com
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