The Conquistador's Legacy

Four hundred and ninety one years ago this month, history tells us that a Mayan leader, in a misguided attempt to befriend the Spanish conquerors that had landed on their shores, gave a gift to that scoundrel Hernan Cortez; the gift was a group of women slaves. Among them was the native woman that the Spanish called Malinche, her real name being much to long to write. According to history, Malinche wasn't bad looking--that's by european standards, so don't get too excited--and she was smart and ambitious; she learned Spanish and became Cortez's interpreter. In 1521, when Cortez arrived in Tenoctitlan, the Aztec capital, with his army of conquistadors and native warrior allies from a coastal tribe, Malinche betrays her people. She tells Cortez of an impending attack on his army by the Aztecs and then leads the Aztec warriors into a trap.

Oh, and guess what? she then hooks up with Cortez and has his love child; this child is considered to be the first mestizo in Mexico, the offspring of a european and an "indian". But that's just a story for the history books, the fact is that Catholic priests had been living among the idigenous people in Mexico before Cortez showed up. I know, you're thinking: what about Columbus and his crew? No, no, he didn't land in Mexico. Besides, that story about Malinche betraying her people and then giving birth to the first Mexican, sounds very familiar; i think there are hints of the biblical story of Adam and Eve  in there.

During the 16th century, historians think that 240,000 Spanierds immigrated to the Mexico and during the next century, the number
rose to 450,000. But it was not like the Mayflower that contained mostly families, men and women; these are mostly single men, Spanish men. By marrying native women, keeping concubines and mistresses, and just plain taking native women, the Spanish diluted the native blood. What's more, Queen Isabella encouraged this behavior; she probably figured it was easier than genecide.

That is the history of mexico, the legacy of the conquest, men taking advantage of percieved superiority. I would never try to explain my father's conduct, or find excuses for him. What i can say is that: in the
past, keeping a mistress on the side has been so prevalent in Mexico, that it has been tolerated; and from personal observation, i think it is still very common and much tolerated. I know this goes along with machismo, but it is not a Hispanic thing. It is astonishing to me that in the 21st century, males still find this sense of sexual entitlement and that not all women have been taught not to put up with it.

What my mother was up to when she met dad and whether or not he planned to have a wife and a mistress, i cannot say. In genral, the whole situation has made me laugh since my late teens when i first began to get the story bit by bit; some of the details of their lives was not funny, though; those things i keep to myself. My parents had the right to make their mistakes without me telling the world every detail. Why tell any of this in the first place? Simply put, i cannot begin to expain who my parents were without this information.