History 3401W Study Guide for Arriaga







Study Guide for Townsend, Malintzin’s Choices Townsend’s book is a fascinating exploration of a central yet little understood figure during the Spanish conquest of Mexico which offers several new interpretations of both Malinztin (aka Malinche) and of the encounters between Spaniards and Native Mesoamericans. As well as telling a good story, she openly discusses the detective work that historians must undertake as they try to understand the past based upon primary sources that provide different perspectives and, in some cases, the lack of sufficient evidence. Introduction How are the histories written by modern scholars shaped by their own time and concerns? What kinds of sources are available to reconstruct the history of Malintzin? Throughout the book, jot down issues or incidents that surprise you and then consider what those surprises tell you about conquest and colonialism. I. Pelican’s Kingdom What was the political and economic landscape of Mesoamerica in the early 1500s? What was the position of women in Mesoamerican societies? II. The Men from the Boats How and why did Malintzin come to serve as a translator for Cortés? How might the Spaniards and the Native Mesoamericans have perceived each other during their early encounters along the coast? What can we learn from indigenous accounts of this period and how can historians sort out how the context of later periods (e.g. the 1540s or 1560s) may have shaped memories about the period of 1519-1521? What were the similarities and differences between the Nahuas and the Spaniards in terms of political organization, technologies, forms of warfare etc.? III. One of Us People Here How might Malintzin have been viewed by the indigenous people during her period working for the Spanish? What kinds of evidence does Townsend have? Do you find her depiction convincing? What were the various options for action for the Spaniards and various indigenous leaders and what (possibly multiple) strategies did each group pursue? IV. Tenochtitlan In many stories and histories of the conquest of Mexico, the encounter between Cortés and Moctezuma is the key event used to explain Spanish victory; Townsend’s account of their meeting and relations departs from the most common versions. What was the context of Spanish political culture that helps explains Cortés’s version of his relations with Moctezuma? What were the norms of Nahua etiquette and diplomacy, and how might these have been misinterpreted by the Spaniards? Why is it important for Townsend to contest earlier versions of Moctezuma’s arrest? Do you find her interpretation convincing? Why or why not? How important were the early actions taken by both Cortés and Moctezuma during the period from the entrance of the Spaniards into Tenochtitlan until their expulsion during the noche triste to explain the later military victory of the Spanish in 1521? Although Townsend’s focus is on the relations between Spaniards and Nahuas, also pay attention to Cortés’s relations to other Spaniards; what were his strengths and/or weaknesses as a leader? V. Water-Pouring Song On page 10 of the introduction to the book, Townsend states that “a parallel book. . . runs through the notes.” I encourage you to pay attention to the notes throughout the book; after you have read chapter five, carefully read the notes (pp. 252-54). What did you learn from the notes that you did not from simply reading the chapter? What are the various purposes of notes in historical works? What is Townsend’s explanation for the Spanish victory? Are you fully convinced by it? Why or why not? VI. Reed Mats Why do you think Townsend goes into such detail on the disputes generating by Cortés’s appointment of a ruler for Tetzcoco? What does this incident suggest to you about the political context in the aftermath of the fall of Tenochtitlan? Considering that incident along with the encounter between Spanish missionaries and Nahua leaders and priests, what was the impact of the defeat of the Mexica on other indigenous groups? For example, did Nahuas and Spaniards have different visions of what Spanish political dominance would mean for the local societies? VII. The Concubine Speaks How have other historians depicted the fate of Malintzin after the fall of Tenochtitlan, and how does Townsend attempt to revise such accounts? Why is the matter important? Are you convinced by Townsend’s interpretation? Why or why not? What was early colonial society like in Mexico City of the 1520s? VIII. Doña María and IX. Don Martín Legal sources (transcriptions of lawsuits) are of central importance to historians. What kind of information do they provide on the life of Malintzin and her descendants that is not available from more narrative accounts on either the Spanish or indigenous sides? What factors of bias and context must historians keep in mind as they interpret legal sources? What did it mean to be “mestizo” (of mixed Spanish and indigenous parentage) in the first generation after the fall of Tenochtitlan? What were the larger concerns of Kings Charles and Phillip in this period, both regarding the colony of New Spain and the place of this colony within the larger empire and neighboring kingdoms and empires? Final questions: In the introduction, Townsend presents two questions: “how did this woman matter in her own time” and “what did the turbulent events of her life mean to her” (pp. 5-6)? Considering these two perspectives, how successful overall do you think Townsend was in writing a compelling account of the life and times of Malintzin? On page 177, Townsend presents the aftermath of the fall of Tenochtitlan as a series of paradoxes: “The Indians were violently defeated; the Indians could never be permanently defeated. Their lives would never be the same again; for many of them, their daily activities went on quite unchanged. The Spanish language and Christian ethic became the dominant modes of the country they inhabited, but they themselves continued to think in Nahuatl and to understand their relationship to the world much as their parents had. Women were no longer the complementary equals of men but rather were deemed to be inferior and allowed fewer legal rights, yet women continued to do most of the talking in the markets and a good deal of it in the courts.” How would you interpret this statement in your own words?


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