La Malinche in Mexican Literature

Of all the historical characters known from the time of the Spanish conquest of the New World, none has proved more pervasive or controversial than that of the Indian interpreter, guide, mistress, and confidante of Hernán Cortés, Doña Maria — La Malinche — Malintzin, an American Indian woman who was given as a gift to Cortés. This is the first serious study tracing La Malinche in texts from the conquest period to the present day.