The Image of Malinche in Chicana Art

Kayleigh C. Perkov

UCLA

MalinalMalintzin

La MalincheDona Marina

La Chingada

A Brief Biography of Malinche•Approximately 1502-1529

•Born into a family of Aztec Nobility

•Sold into Slavery

•Presented to Cortés Upon His Arrival in Tabasco

•An Instrumental Figure in the Conquest of Mexico

•Has Two Children with Cortés - mother of the Mestizos

•Converts to Christianity, giving her the name Dona Marina

•In the past four hundred years she has become a potent symbol of the anxiety, anger, and aspirations of the generations that followed her.

The 1960’s and 70’s saw the rise of Chicano social movement in the United States. While this movement was searching for greater civil rights, their attitudes towards women were often quite limiting and little though was given to the prevalent sexism in mainstream society. In this movement women were either Adelitas—dedicated supporters of the cause and their men—or seen as a traitors, which gave rise to using Malinche as a slur for traitorous women. Feminism was considered a white bourgeoisie pursuit not in alignment with the goals of the Chicano movement. Despite this harsh characterization many women continued to fight for greater equality and many appropriated the slur of Malinche turning into a term that implied strength, intelligence, and cultural multiplicity

Adelita Image

Tina Medina La Chingada/ La Chingona 1999Notice the M on the shirt on the figure on the left signaling her out as a Malinche figure

Homage to ancient Mexico City and Dona Marina, “La Malinche”

Carmen Lomas Garza

1992

Smith College of Art

Malinche

Rosario Marquardt

1992

La Malinche

Santa Barraza

1991

Self Portrait as La Malinche

Ruby Chacon

Within the last few decades Malinche has been embraced both by some male artists and by some in the transgender community

The Performance Artist La Malinche

“Malinche incorporates the capitalist impositions of race, class and gender along with the ever-present female roles of virgin, whore, and widow, and transcends (sic) them into pure expression of passion, grief and

joie de vivre!” Quote from the artist’s website

Here’s a Story

Daniel Guerrero

2005)

Note the image of Malinche taken from a Pre-Colombian Codex in the upper left corner

La Malinche en Tamoanchan, Alfredo Arreguín

The symbol of the mother of modern Mexico is La Malinche! I hope her apparition on my canvas transcends the negativism against her, and that future generations will celebrate her as our mom. Que viva La Malinche, Nuestra Madre!-quote from the artist

La Malinche, Alfredo Arreguín, 1993