FROM LATIN AMERICA MALINCHE: HEROINE OR VILLAIN? AN OPEN DEBATE

Abstract This study aims to carry out a critical and multidisciplinary analysis of the historical figure of La Malinche, based on a visual corpus made up of three emblematic images and a set of primary and secondary documentary sources. Through a methodological approach that combines tools, cultural anthropology and gender studies, it seeks to unravel the multiple layers of meaning that have been attributed to this character over time. The relevance of this research lies in the need to recontextualize the figure of La Malinche within the framework of the historical and cultural processes that shaped New Spain. By analyzing the visual and textual representations of La Malinche, we aim to identify the hegemonic discourses that have constructed and reconstructed her image, as well as the resistances and reinterpretations that have arisen over the centuries. The preliminary conclusions point to the complexity and ambiguity of this historical figure, who reveals herself as an indigenous woman trapped in a context of conflict and radical transformation. Her role as interpreter, counselor and mediator makes her an emblematic character, but also a controversial figure, whose interpretation remains the subject of debate.