This article analyzes the iconography of the figure of Malinche in the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, a visual history of the conquest of Mexico produced by Tlaxcalan authors in the 16th century, in order to demonstrate that the Indigenous interpreter of the Spanish conquerors was transformed into a symbol of the polity of Tlaxcala and of its alliance with the conquistadors, as well as of their special relationship with the Virgin Mary. This serves to demonstrate the creative and complex ways in which Western symbols and discourses were appropriated by Mesoamerican authors in order to defend their identity and their political autonomy.
conquest; ethnic identity; cultural change; evangelization
