doña Marina, interpreter

This detail provides a close look at doña Marina, the famous interpreter who was originally Nahua but also knew a dialect of Maya and learned Spanish quite quickly. She had been given to Cortés as a slave. Here we see her red shoes and her elaborately designed red huipilli (blouse) and skirt. The red shoes are unusual for Nahua women and have been the subject of speculation of a negative European influence in the way she is depicted. Her hair, long and flowing, is not the usual sedentary Nahua woman’s hairstyle, which would have the hair twisted up into knots above her forehead. Her gesturing is an indication of having a voice in this scene. [SW]