Aztec

Book excerpt: The daughter if a prophet and the child slave of Spanish adventurer Hernan Cortes, the life of the Aztec princess Malinali is one of the most enduring legends of Mexico. Her role in history divides opinion even today. Reviled by some as a traitor responsible for the destruction of the Indians, worshiped by others as a heroine and symbolic mother of the nation, hers is the most extraordinary story in the history of the Americas. The legendary Aztec civilization is here brought to life in blazing colour, as the author traces the story of the enigmatic Malinali who held for a moment the future of an entire country in her hands. Contradictory, sensuous and fiercely intelligent, Malinali became the key to Cortes conquest of Mexico. It is a story of impossible odds, unimaginable cruelty, extraordinary courage and craven betrayal. Who were the heroes and who the villains? Today the Aztecs are a distant memory. But Malinali's name lives on. This book spent four months on the best seller lists in Mexico, re-igniting debate yet again about the true heritage of a people and the very nature of western colonisation of the natural world.