La Malinche
La Malinche
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- Description
- La Malinche, the title of this lithograph, was the indigenous woman who translated for Cortés between Maya, Náhuatl, and Spanish during his first years in Mexico. Considered either as a traitor or a founding mother by some Mexicans, La Malinche was Cortés's lover and the mother of his favorite son Martín. She and Moctezuma are also central figures in the Matachines dances that are performed in Mexico and New Mexico. Originally commemorating the expulsion of the Moors from southern Spain in 1492, the dance was brought to Mexico where it was treated as a means for Christianizing native peoples. The historical figure of La Malinche, known in Spanish by the name Doña Marina, is also credited for playing an almost miraculous role in the early evangelization of central Mexico. This print, made by Jean Charlot in the 1933, shows a young girl in the role of La Malinche, holding a rattle or toy in one hand, and a sword in the other. Jean Charlot, a French-born artist, lived and studied in Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s. He depicted stylized scenes from the daily life of Mexican workers, particularly indigenous women.
- Description (Spanish)
- La Malinche, título de esta litografía, fue la mujer indígena que interpretaba para Cortés entre los mayas, náhuatl y españoles durante sus primeros años en México. La Malinche, quien para algunos mexicanos es una traidora, mientras que otros la consideran la madre fundadora, fue la amante de Cortés y la madre de su hijo favorito, Martín. Ella y Moctezuma constituyen también los personajes centrales de las danzas matachines que se interpretan en México y Nuevo México. Al principio estas danzas conmemoraban la expulsión de los moros del sur de España, pero en 1492 cuando la danza llegó a México se la utilizó como medio para cristianizar a los pueblos nativos. Se le atribuye también a la figura histórica de La Malinche, conocida asimismo como Doña Marina, un desempeño casi milagroso dentro de la temprana evangelización de México. Esta ilustración, hecha por Jean Charlot en 1933, es la imagen de una niña representando a La Malinche, sosteniendo un sonajero o juguete en una mano y una espada en la otra. Jean Charlot fue un artista francés que vivió y estudió en México entre las décadas de 1920 y 1930, quien se dedicó a ilustrar escenas estilizadas de la vida diaria de los trabajadores mexicanos y en particular de las mujeres indígenas.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- Object Type
- Lithograph
- Other Terms
- print; Lithograph
- Date made
- 1933
- place printed
- United States: California, Los Angeles
- Physical Description
- paper (overall material)
- ink (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 20.6 cm x 15.7 cm; 8 1/8 in x 6 3/16 in
- ID Number
- GA.23401
- catalog number
- 23401
- accession number
- 299563
- Credit Line
- Anonymous
- subject
- Popular Culture
- Native Americans
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
- Cultures & Communities
- Mexican America
- Religion
- Art
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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