Doña Marina; Malinche; Hernán Cortés; India Catalina; Pedro de Heredia; Cartagena de Indias; Serie televisiva Hernán; Serie televisiva La reina de Indias y el conquistador; Cartagena de Indias; Vera Cruz la Vieja; Quiahuztlan

Abstract

This paper offers a comparative study of two historical and legendary native American women: Doña Marina (Malinche), who accompanied Hernán Cortes in his conquest, and Catalina, partner of Pedro de Heredia, who founded Cartagena de Indias. Indeed, both women have given rise to numerous documents of all types: texts, audio, iconography, literature and video. This paper describes, firstly, their abduction and slave condition, and then their crucial role as counsellors, which contributed to establishing peaceful relations with many indigenous tribes, as well as spreading the Roman Catholic faith. Moreover, we discuss the development of both relationships and the role played by Catalina and Marina in the founding of, respectively, Cartagena and the Second Veracruz. The analysis uses two TV series as its starting point, and aims at developing critical reading skills in university students.