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Bailey Hinshaw
History 392
Question 2
February 23, 2016

Malintzins Choices Regarding Herself and Her Family

In Malintzins Choices, Camilla Townsend portrays the choices Malintzin made

throughout her life as those of a survivor, including times before, during, and after the Conquest

of Mexico. Malintzin made choices for her own self-preservation and the preservation of her

family; although, there were some elements in Malintzins life that she had no control over.

Malintzin played an important role as a women and a go-between for the Spaniards when they

were dealing with indigenous people.

Malintzin made choices that were important to her wellbeing. Townsend indicates that

Malintzin may have been sold into slavery or that she may have been given to the Maya as a

peace prize for war by her Mexica, or Aztec, altepetl. While Malintzin was enslaved with the

Maya, she had to choose to be submissive and accept the work that she had to do in the

household. Later, when the Maya gave her to the Spaniards, Malintzin chose to speak up when

the Spaniards needed a translator who could speak Nahuatl. Malintzin chose to help the

Spaniards so that she would not be at the mercies of whichever of the Spaniards once

Puertocarrero tired of her (Townsend, 41). Helping the Spaniards was very much to her benefit.

She herself would probably live longer, as she might stave off battles with the locals and could

certainly help to obtain food (Townsend, 42). Malintzin chose to side with the Spanish instead

of the indigenous people because her life would have been in servitude if she had ever returned

to the indigenous people. While she was with the Spaniards, she became a great and respectable
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figure to the Spaniards. Townsend stated that Cortes promised her more than her liberty if she

would help him (Townsend, 41). Cortes knew her role was a profoundly influential one

(Townsend, 57). Malintzin also gained respect from the indigenous peoples that the Spaniards

encountered. To the natives, she was to be respected because she made statements on behalf of

the whole group [of Spaniards] (Townsend, 56).

Malintzin made choices to protect the wellbeing of her children. Malintzin chose to marry

a Spaniard. Some people implied that Malintzin had been forced to marry Juan Jaramillo, but

Townsend pointed out that Bernal Diaz said that she was hardly someone who would or even

could be forced to accept a husband whom she did not want to marry (Townsend, 150). Her

decision to marry Juan Jaramillo showed that she was attempting to grab enough power to

protect herself and her children, and conceivably even certain other people in Olutla (Townsend,

150). Malintzin and Jaramillo had a daughter named Maria. About Maria, Townsend said, This

was one girl-child who would never be sold into slavery (Townsend, 163). Malintzin also chose

to go on an expedition with Cortes and leave her young son, Martin, with Cortess cousin. She

went on the expedition in order to protect her son by ensuring that Cortes would make it back

alive. Her skills went beyond just being a translator while on the expedition. Townsend said, If

it had not been for Malintzins extraordinary ability to function in more than one Mayan dialect

and her deftness in assessing situations, they would have been lost, literally and figuratively, on

more than one occasion (Townsend, 158). Malintzin made many choices within her lifetime.

Her choices were originally to help herself, but she eventually had to make choices that would

protect her children.

There were some circumstances in her life that were outside of Malintzins control. The

practice altepetls had of giving women as slaves to another altepetl they had lost war against was
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definitely out of her control. Also, if someone from her altepetl sold her into slavery, her slavery

would have still been out of her control. She was just a girl when she found herself as a slave

among the Maya (Townsend, 1). She also could not control the situation when the Maya sent

her and nineteen other indigenous girls to the Spaniards as a peace offering (Townsend, 2). So,

her slavery altogether was completely out of her control because she had no choice in the

matter (Townsend, 2). Another thing that was out of her control was when Cortes gave her to a

specific Spaniard, the cousin of a count. She could not control the fact that she and the [other]

women were distributed to provide the men with sexual services (Townsend, 36). She also

could not control the Spaniards need of a translator when they confronted Nahuatl speaking

indigenous peoples for the first time, but she did take advantage of the opportunity. She also

could not control how bright and flexible her mind was, and that helped her be able to learn

multiple languages quite easily. Her importance as a translator was gained because of her

inability to control which group of indigenous peoples Aguilar had been enslaved by. He could

only speak Spanish and Yucatec Maya; Malintzin, on the other hand, could already speak

Nahuatl, Chontal Maya, and some Yucatec Maya. She also had little control over how the

indigenous leaders treated the Spaniards, though she could temper some of their reaction because

she knew how to put emphasis on certain words or phrases to get the Spaniards point across

better. Townsend points out that she could speak in different registers and thus make a necessary

point more effectively (Townsend, 59). Malinztin may not have been able to control several

things in her life, but she made the best of every situation she was placed in.

Malintzin played an important role as a woman with the indigenous and the Spaniards

during her lifetime. Indigenous women had to have the agency to be able to adapt to different

situations because they could face many different situations throughout their lives. They could
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find themselves in slavery with different groups, much like Malinztin found herself. They would

often be kept as concubines by the group they were enslaved by. Often times, women were given

as peace offerings when a group had lost a battle or war. Slave girls could be offered as a

gesture of submission, or the kings own daughter could be offered as a marriage partner for the

enemy tlatoani in hopes of building an alliance (Townsend, 72). Also, once they had children,

they had to adapt to motherhood, with an understanding that they may not make it through

birthing their child. How indigenous women dealt with the possibility of losing their lives during

childbirth was through a belief that they would go to a special place if they died because they had

died with honor. Townsend claims that the natives believed men who died in battle went to a

special heaven for the brave; so, too, did women who died in childbirth (Townsend, 18). The

women were also important in indigenous society because they protected the home, and in doing

so, women protected life itself (Townsend, 17). When the Spaniards came, women were given

to them as peace offerings along with food and supplies. The women had the agency to accept

their conditions with the Spanish, and some started to learn Spanish and to teach the Spaniards a

little of their own language. Malintzin is a great example of how indigenous women could be of

much importance to the Spaniards. It was indigenous women who got much closer to the

Spaniards than any other member of their society. Some indigenous women married Spanish men

so they could gain power in the Spanish courts through the position their husband was in.

Townsend points out that Indian noblewomen were well aware that they could use Spanish

husbands to their advantage in legal battles over land and other matters (Townsend, 154).

Indigenous women were important and resourceful before, during, and after the Conquest of

Mexico.
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Malintzin played an important role as a go-between for the Spanish and indigenous

peoples. She showed her agency by being able to adapt to many different and difficult situations.

All of the go-betweens were able to adapt to situations. Aguilar, for example, was captured by

the Yucatec Maya, and he learned their language through his imprisonment. He then was able to

help Cortes and the Spaniards on their conquest by being able to communicate with some

indigenous groups. Malintzin had to adjust to the Spanish form of slavery after being enslaved

with the Maya for several years, and she had had to adjust to Maya slavery after living her

youngest years as a free Nahua. Her adaptation to the Spanish world was probably made easier

because she could communicate with other slaves and Aguilar, who was already onboard

Cortess ship at the time Malintzin arrived onboard. Malintzin and other translators enabled the

Spaniards to negotiate with indigenous groups and avoid war with so many of the natives. Most

indigenous groups fought the Spaniards, but many groups wound up siding with the Spaniards

because, through their go-betweens, the Spaniards were able to convince them that they could

provide protection for them against their enemies. The Tlaxcalans opted to save their peoples

lives and ally with the strangers who, [Malintzin] assured them, truly wanted their friendship

(Townsend, 62). Later on, during the expedition Cortes led across Latin America, Malintzin

proved herself even more as a skilled go-between. Townsend claimed, If it had not been for

Malintzins extraordinary ability to function in more than one Mayan dialect and her deftness in

assessing situations, they would have been lost, literally and figuratively, on more than one

occasion (Townsend, 158). Go-betweens were very important to the Spaniards, and people like

Malintzin saved the Spaniards lives on different occasions.

Before, during, and after the Conquest of Mexico Malintzin was a survivor. There were

several points in Malintzins life where she made decisions for her wellbeing and the wellbeing
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of her children, but there were also many elements in her life that Malintzin had no control over.

Women and go-betweens were important during the Conquest of Mexico when the Spaniards

were dealing with indigenous people.

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References:

Townsend, Camilla. Malintzin's Choices: An Indian Woman in the Conquest of Mexico.

Albuquerque: U of New Mexico, 2006. Print.