Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche

Commissioned by the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA), the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s dance company created an original production inspired by the exhibition "Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche."

"Soy Malintzin" re-envisions the controversial legacy of Malintzin/La Malinche, an enslaved Indigenous woman who served as a translator and cultural interpreter for the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and became the mother of his first-born son.

Through the collective work of the Guadalupe Dance Company members and the choreographic artistry of Maestro Juan Carlos Gaytan of Colima, México, the production draws attention to different aspects of La Malinche, identifying with her as a woman in unimaginable circumstances.

Filmed and edited by Walley Films.

Original Performance:
Musical accompaniment by Mariachi Azteca de América
Bendición/The Blessing - Staged by Rodrigo Gonzalez
Raíces/Origins - Choreographed by Belinda Menchaca
Prisioneras/Prisoners - Choreographed by Denise Rios
Almas Cautivas/Captured Souls - Choreographed by Marlene Pita
La llegada/The arrival - Choreographed by Belinda Menchaca
Facetas Rotas/Broken Pieces - Choreographed by Jeannette Chavez
Enfrentando obstáculos/Overcoming obstacles - Choreographed by Carolina Guerra
Interpretando mi camino/Forging my way - Choreographed by Maestro Juan Carlos Gaytan of Colima, MX
Choque de culturas/Cultures collide - Choreographed by Belinda Menchaca
Mestizaje/The people rise - Choreographed by Luis Garcia