The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, May 19, 2008

by Mark Saad Saka, Associate Professor Of History,

 Sul Ross State University, Alpine Texas

Méjico, The Conquest of an Ancient Civilization represents the lifelong passion of Ruffo Espinosa. Born in Mexico, Espinosa migrated to the U.S., where he worked as a public defender representing Mexican-Americans and those unable to defend themselves in a court of law. His first love always remained Mexican history, and he developed a fascination with the epic tales of the Conquest and the forging of the cosmic race. Espinosa spent decades combing through the national archives in Mexico City and Spain and also mastered the Nahuatl language. He successfully integrates Aztec perspectives of the Conquest into a brilliant fictional narrative of the titanic clash between two worlds. He eloquently weaves historical truth into a novel that is accessible both to scholars of Mexican history and the general reader.

Méjico approaches this heroic drama through personal narratives of the three major characters of the Conquest: Hernán Cortez, Princess Malintzín (Doña Marina or La Malinche) and the last Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc. The saga begins as seen through the eyes of Martin Cortez, supposed son of the union of Hernán Cortez and Princess Malintzín. However, as the story unfolds, Martin Cortez discovers his true self as the son of Princess Malintzín and the Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc. The emotional bond that forms between Cuauhtémoc and Malintzín runs throughout the book and offers a tale of young love that many of my students found intriguing. Young Martin finds the truth of the noble blood that flows through his veins as he is the son of Maya and Aztec nobility and, at the same time, bears the name of the most powerful Spaniard in all of México.

One important theme of the novel is the positive portrayal of Princess Malintzín. Regarded in popular literature and culture as the one who betrayed México to the Spanish, Malintzín has borne the double burden of being an indigenous woman. Espinosa instead illuminates her intelligence, strength and inner beauty. Her love for the people of Mexico compels her to help in the liberation of those Mexicans subjugated to the imperial exploitation of the Aztec state. Many of the younger students identified with her positive role by commenting that was their favorite character. Instead of bearing the sins of Mexico’s betrayal, she comes across as a heroine of liberation. Although this is a fictional narrative of the Conquest and does not take into account the impact of European diseases on the indigenous population of the exploitative nature of the Spanish colonial state, many students remarked that, as a young woman  who saw herself as helping her own people, she should not be held responsible for the unfolding of history that no one could possibly have foretold.

A major strength of this novel is Espinosa’s treatment of the differences between Mesoamerica’s peoples, cultures and social classes. Rather than viewing Pre-Columbian México as an ethnic or linguistic monolith, the book presents México in all of its multicultural diversity, introducing students to the complexities of Mesoamerican civilization. The diversity includes a wide pantheon of Pre-Colombian deities, including an eternal struggle between the Aztec War God Huitzilopochtli  and the savior-messiah Quetzalcoatl. Both Princess Malintzín and Cuauhtémoc seek to redress many of the grievances against Huitzilopochtli and the Aztec clerical hierarchy by promoting Quetzalcoatl’s humane ideas and beliefs. Cuauhtémoc emerges as a hero as he seeks to defend México from the Spanish invasion and in his role as a reformer of the Aztec religion and state. He never waves in his belief that Hernán Cortez was simply a man and not a God, as believed by the drugged Emperor Moctezuma.

Espinosa presents the Spanish-Aztec clash not as the tragedy so often portrayed in popular culture, but in a positive light that interprets the Conquest as a new beginning for all of mankind – a blending of two worlds in the formation of a distinct nation. Rather than portraying Mexican history as a succession of betrayals and sorrows, Espinosa produces a tale of heroism, bravery and pride. This victorious theme resonated well with my undergraduate students, many of whom commented on the positive approach to the Conquest. By presenting such traditionally vilified characters as Hernán Cortez in a more positive light, the Spanish heritage of the Mexican-American students could be brought forth with a sense of pride equal to that of the indigenous component of Mexican-American ancestry and civilization.

The book is more than 600 pages long. I was originally hesitant to use such a large novel. But my students enjoyed it immensely. An entertaining read, it fits very well into an undergraduate course in Pre-Columbian, Colonial or Mexican-American history.