La Malinche
publication date: Friday, July 5, 2024 (part of July 2024)
category: 
Controversy
clue: Traitor or slave? Mother or murderer? Cortés's courtesan and maligned malinchista remains among the most controversial figures in Mexican history.
explanation: The woman known as La Malinche, whose real name was likely either Marina or Malintzin, was a Nahua woman who was taken as a slave and later consort by conquistador Hernán Cortés. She has long been viewed as a traitor (from whom the treacherous term "malinchista" derives) for helping Cortés to slaughter the Aztecs, but more recently has been seen as a victim forced into the role. She is also considered something of a mother figure of Mestizos, people of mixed European and Indigenous American descent, having given birth to one of the first, Cortés's son. more…
intended difficulty: easy
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, and Richard Slominsky
Similar Goos
Miles Hudson
Seattle has become a hellish place at night thanks to locals having to dodge the reckless driving of this Instagram user. Go »
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan didn't get to be President by hating Albanians... Wait, yes he did. Go »
Elián González
He literally became the poster boy for Cuban political refugees. Go »
Lee Harvey Oswald
It's too bad this sharpshooter with three first names didn't live to hear the Dead Kennedys. Go »
Joe Jackson
He was a controversial player, but not for swinging Black Betsy without wearing proper footwear. Go »
