Still a Mystery

Although Camilla Townsend’s Malintzin’s Choices attempts to understand the historical figure of Dona Malina, it also studies the larger patterns of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. On one level it seeks to understand a life which the author suggests might have been ordinary if not for extreme coincidences. On a deeper level it traces how her meaning has changed throughout history. On a still deeper level, it attempts to state what is known about the Nahua in the age of the conquest. The study is sympathetic to her cause, humanizing her attempt to navigate between options not always desirable and showing the complexity of the larger clash of cultures.

As admitted by the author, little evidence is available about her life. At best, there is only a “murky window” into her life. In absence of abundant primary documents, she considers the context and attempts to place Malinche within it. She asks two questions. First, how did she matter in her own time? Secondly, what did events mean to her? In the end, Townsend presents her as typical, suggesting if she had not played her role, someone else would have.

Structurally, the book is largely arranged chronologically. The first chapter describes the indigenous tribes before the conquest, presenting them as a contentious collection of self-serving units on many levels. The second chapter covers the initial contact through native eyes, in which Townsend decidedly argues against the idea of the Spanish appearing as gods to the indigenous tribes. From there the book describes the complicated role of translators, suggesting that Malinche’s initial choice was made for self-serving reasons. Chapters four through seven describe the conquest and Malinche is largely absent. Indeed, Townsend seems more interested in portraying the indigenous tribes as skillfully playing both sides for their own gain during and after the conquest. The last two chapters address the fate of her daughter and son.

The work does not buy into many myths of the conquest. It does, however, present the Spanish as superior, not because they were genetically dominant but because they had been agriculturally settled for longer and able to develop technology such as steel swords. While such an idea could present an unbalanced view of the conquest, Townsend is careful to balance it with the idea that much of the success of the conquest stemmed from the Spanish use of native allies.

The work is a decent synthesis of much of what is already known about the conquest, albeit written in more colorful prose than typical scholarly studies. Snippets of what is already known are woven into an attempt to solve the mystery of Malinche, an attempt which is not entirely successful. Not much is known about her and most of Townsend’s contribution to history is in explaining what she was not, dispelling the inaccuracies of previous studies. Unfortunately these efforts are largely buried in the footnotes for the sake of a smooth narrative. What does end up in the main text can border on speculation. Townsend is careful to phrase her picture of Malinche as a suggestion where applicable. Still, much of her book, while interesting and intellectually stimulating, does not give the reader a more concrete image of the historical figure. In the end, her claim that a complete picture cannot be known is the most valuable insight and the work is useful for what it strikes down rather than what it adds to the discussion.