La Malinche - The Princess Who Helped Cortes Conquer an Empire

Translation of: La princesa que ayudao a conquistar un imperio: historia de la Malinche.

About the author

Francisco Serrano is a noted Mexican poet who also writes plays, librettos and children's books, and edits literary anthologies. He lives in Mexico City.

Summary

Selected for the USBBY Outstanding International Book List

In the early 1500s, Hernán Cortés and his conquistadors defeated the great Aztec Empire, built a new city for colonists from Spain and took control of vast lands stretching from today's southwestern US down through most of Central America.


But many people don't know that one of the reasons for the success of this conquest was the invaluable help of a beautiful woman, Princess Malinali, known today as La Malinche. She was a Náhuatl princess from the coast lands of Tabasco whose kingdom was at war with the Aztec Empire. Because of her knowledge of Maya and Náhuatl languages, and her rapid acquisition of Spanish, she came to act as an interpreter and advisor to Cortés. She also bore him a child.


La Malinche is described here as she often is in Mexico as the embodiment of a new culture, one in which the mixing of races, Spanish and Aztec, created a new world. This view is not shared by all Mexicans, however. For some La Malinche is the symbol of a great betrayal that led to the death of millions of her fellow indigenous people. No one disagrees, however, that La Malinche was an extraordinary woman, whose life is fundamental to understanding the history of ancient and modern Mexico.

Includes beautiful illustrations by Pablo Serrano, maps, a timeline and further reading.

Additional text

Praise for The Poet King of Tezcoco:
"Groundbreaking in its coverage of exciting history, this book offers details that are rarely presented to young people." — Booklist

Product details

• Authors: Francisco Serrano
• Assisted by: Pablo Serrano (Illustration), Susan Ouriou (Translation), Ouriou Susan (Translation)
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 9
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 15.11.2012
• EAN: 9781554981113
• ISBN: 978-1-55498-111-3
• No. of pages: 36
• Dimensions: 206 mm x 270 mm x 10 mm
• Weight: 411 g
• Illustrations: Color illustrations throughout
• Series: Groundwood Books; Groundwood Books
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Non-fiction books / Non-fiction picture books > History, politics; JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / General, JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / Central & South America, Children’s / Teenage general interest: History and the past