Mexico Vindicates Woman Long Blamed for Aztec Empire's Collapse

For five centuries, La Malinche has carried the burden of being labeled a traitor who facilitated the downfall of the Aztec Empire in 1521. Known by multiple names – Marina to the Spanish, Malintzin to pre-Hispanic peoples, and later as Malinche – this Indigenous woman served as translator and interpreter for Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés during one of history’s most transformative and violent periods. Now, as Mexico’s first female president Claudia Sheinbaum takes office, the nation is launching a major initiative to reassess and vindicate this controversial figure whose story has been told exclusively by others for generations, according to The Independent.

Beginning Sunday, October 12, 2025, Mexico is commemorating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas with cultural events dedicated to reclaiming Malinche’s narrative. “We have a working group of anthropologists, historians, and philosophers studying this important, much-maligned figure, and it is very important to vindicate her,” President Sheinbaum announced recently. This governmental push represents a significant shift in how one of Mexico’s most divisive historical figures is understood and remembered.