Midterm Proposal

I will be drawing from The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz to discuss Dona Marina's (La Malinche) role as an interpreter for the Spaniards in Cortes' conquest of the Aztec nation. Dona Marina herself has no voice in history and depending on who tells the story she is either a hero or a traitor. The account portrays her as loyal to Cortes yet she was given to the Spaniards as a slave. According to this account, she was a slave among her native people as well before being given to Cortes. I will discuss how her identity and role is shaped by the identity and motives of Diaz, a Spaniard present during the conquest. I will also discuss how he treats her navigation of native, Spanish, and female identities in concurrence with her station as an interpreter and a slave; Diaz gives her an agency over her life that is inherently contradictory and questionable.