'Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche' Documents Long Legacy Of Enslaved Woman Who Turned Circumstances Into Opportunity
DENVER (CBS4)- An exhibition with works of art never before seen in Denver will open to the public this weekend at the Denver Art Museum. Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche, premiers Feb. 6 and documents the long legacy of an enslaved woman who turned her circumstances into an opportunity.
There are 68 works of art from the 16th century through today, that help depict the legend of La Malinche.
"Here was this woman, a girl between the ages of 11 and 16 years old, thrust in the center stage of these cataclysmic events," said Victoria Lyall, the Fredrick and Jan Mayer Curator for Art of the Ancient Americas for the Denver Art Museum.
Her circumstances at such a young age are what has led many to consider her a survivor and icon. She was one of 20 women given to Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés when he arrived at the city of Pontonchan in 1519. She quickly learned Spanish so she could serve as Cortés's only interpreter and became a leading voice in his negotiations with the Aztec people- eventually allowing him to get close enough to kill the Emperor, ultimately leading to the fall of the entire Aztec Empire.
This is the reason many consider her a traitor, the woman who brought down her own people in order to save herself. Even today in Mexican culture her name is used as a slur to describe traitors.
"The concept of malinchismo is very commonly used in Mexico today and you still hear it on the side of the border. It's derived from her name, Malinche, and is a slur used against people who seem to prefer 'the other', 'the foreigner', 'the white man', over their own. So it's interesting that she's a historical figure that's been both reviled and revered for five centuries. It's really rare to have a historical figure with that much longevity especially a woman. An indigenous woman."
It took curators at the Denver Art Museum five years to find and collect the perfect pieces to display. According to the museum, it is the first museum exhibition to present a comprehensive visual exploration of Malinche's enduring impact on communities living on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
"The strength and resilience of our women in this region is extraordinary and an important story to tell and share," said Sandy Rodriguez, one of the 38 artists commissioned for the exhibit.
Rodriguez, while well aware of the legend of Malinche, spent more than two years unpacking whatever she could find to create the Malinche Map.
"What we did was to really plot out 8 points in her life and create a map that makes visible and create a map that makes visible In terms of a continuous narrative," she said.
LINK: Denver Art Museum Malinche Exhibit