In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue…until he got to Guanahani…then he:
Conquest: the act or state of conquering, or the state of being conquered; vanquishment. Anything acquired by conquering, as a nation, a territory, or spoils.
Colonial: of, relating to, possessing, or inhabiting a colony or colonies.
The Conquest/Colonial Era refers to the enormous amount of time from 1492-1810. Starting with the ever popular Columbus, lasting for nearly three hundred years, and then finally coming to an end with the Spanish-American War.
As I watched the videos that were assigned I was drawn to the two about Marina la Malinche. I was drawn to the iconic female figure, but also the drama that fills the story and the way that it affects us today.
3 interesting facts:
Marina la Melinche was on of 20 slaves given to Cortes by a Mayan King. She was fluent in Nahuatl and Mayan and began translating for Cortes’ army. She soon learned to speak Spanish and became the chief translator. Many think that if she was not involved that there would have been no communication and many more deaths.
There are opposing views of Marina. Some refer to her as if she were the Virgin Mary. She is sited as one of the first to birth a mixed race child, thus, the beginning of the Mexican race. Others think of her as a traitor and blame her for the fall of the Aztec empire. Many people feel that it was her character that molded the male perception of the female in Latin American culture.
A bit of a side note…I am a chef and have worked in kitchens for almost ten years now. Several years back, in the beginning if you will: I work in a very busy restaurant with a large line I was one of two non-Latin American cooks and the only female. It was super fun and for the most part we all got along very well. But if I upset any of the guys than I was La Chingada for the rest of the night! They would even sing a little song, “Chinga, Chinga…” So when I was reading about Marina la Melinche I was surprised to find out that La Chingada meant traitor, I always thought it meant fucker (feminine). How’s that for an interesting fact?
http://dictionary.reference.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQU4CXqrbDs&feature=related
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