As part of the International Translation Day and the Year of Indigenous Women, the Government of Mexico presented the program “Women of the Corn”, a series of cultural and academic activities that will take place from October to December with the purpose of reflecting on the historical role of Malintzin and Indigenous women of the past, present, and future.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo emphasized that these actions aim to vindicate, recognize, and revalue the women of Indigenous peoples, noting that figures such as Malintzin have been unjustly labeled as traitors in various 20th-century historical interpretations, particularly in works like The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz.
“Revaluing, recognizing, vindicating Malintzin in a different way, but not only her, but all Indigenous women of the past, the present, and the future,” expressed the president during her morning press conference, known as “La Mañanera del Pueblo.”
Among the announced activities are the Dance of La Malinche at the Zócalo on October 12; the forum What Traitor? Who is Malintzin? at the International Book Fair in the Zócalo on October 19; and the international colloquium Malintzin: Woman of the Word at the Palace of Fine Arts on November 27. Additionally, a digital booklet on 400 women will be distributed, and short programs will be produced for Canal 22, Radio Educación, and community radios of the INPI.
During the presentation, Indigenous women from various communities read the Women’s Rights Handbook, translated into 35 native languages, including Nahuatl, Mazateco, Otomí, P’urhépecha, Popoluca, Chichimeco, Yokot’an, Maya, and Yaqui. Spokeswomen such as Marisela González González emphasized that despite historical obstacles, Indigenous women have preserved their languages and continue to defend their rights.
