Malintzin

[Dan Deneen]

Might I get some of you to weigh in on a question about the name
Malintzin/Malinche?   The Spanish chroniclers tell us that Cortés and his
interpreter were both called “Malinche” (“Malintzin.”)   Frances Kartunnen
argued (1997) that both of them may have been seen as ixiptla for a
previously obscure, or unknown, divine entity itself called, “Malintzin”.
This has been the most interesting and persuasive of the explanations I’ve
come across, and I’d love to know  if Ms. Kartunnen has had an opportunity
to further develop the argument, or if any of this distinguished company
might have thoughts on the naming.  And, more specifically: are there
indigenous sources which apply the name, “Malintzin” to both Marina and
Cortes?  Are there other examples of prominent linked figures bearing the
same name?  What of Bernal D del C's note that a soldier (often in the
company of Marina) named Juan Perez de Arteaga was also called "Malinche?"
And finally, what if anything, might have been the grammatical distinctions
made in speaking third-person about Malintzin (him), Malintzin (her), and
Malintzin (the god??)

Thanks,

Dan --a longtime "lurker" on Nahuat-L, finally piping up


Dan Deneen
Strafford, Vermont
www.deneenstreet.com
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