Legend whispers through these walls. Welcome to Antigua Casa de la Malinche. It’s said this is where Hernán Cortés retreated while his soldiers decimated the Aztec empire. Over the years, this hulking edifice has seen invasions and alterations.
The oldest sections of Antigua Casa de la Malinche are believed to date back 500 years. It even served as a municipal jail and later a monastery. Part of its ground floor was once a pharmacy.
Its namesake is La Malinche. She was a Nahuatl-speaking Indian woman. La Malinche became Cortés’ translator and lover. “La Malinche” translates to “the captain’s woman”. Because she aided the Spaniards, she’s often viewed as a national traitor.
Today, Antigua Casa de la Malinche is a cultural bastion. It is filled with pre-Columbian sculpture and antique furniture. It also boasts an array of paintings, drawings, and prints. Works by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and David Alfaro Siqueiros adorn the walls.
Rina Lazo lived here with her husband, Arturo García Bustos, for decades. Lazo spent ten years as Rivera’s assistant. García was a student of Kahlo. The couple met when Rivera asked Lazo to help García make posters for a political demonstration.
Stepping into Antigua Casa de la Malinche feels like stepping back in time. A stone passageway leads to a print-making studio. García uses old-fashioned printing equipment. He admits computer-assisted design is challenging. Lazo laments the loss of traditional brush-painting skills.
In Coyoacán, a battle rages to preserve the area’s unique qualities. Lazo and García fought against a proposed open-air theater across from their house. They believe the park should be for strolling and thoughtful repose.
The thickest walls of Antigua Casa de la Malinche are thought to be from the original one-story structure. Cortés and La Malinche lived here around 1521 or 1522. Cortés chose Coyoacán because Tenochtitlán was full of rotting corpses.
In the 1860s, the monastery and grounds came into the hands of a peasant family. They had made tortillas for the monks. In the 1930s, José Vasconcelos bought the house. He reconstructed its roofs and restored its beams.
Lazo and García bought Antigua Casa de la Malinche from Vasconcelos’ daughter. They used money from murals they painted for the Anthropology Museum. Reconstructing the house took ten years. Today, it is a registered colonial monument. No changes can be made without official approval.
Earthquake damage threatened Antigua Casa de la Malinche. The National Reconstruction Program allocated funds for restoration. The house was sinking due to the soil’s instability. The government paid to fix the foundations. The family covered other repairs.
Lazo and García wanted to maintain this heritage. It is not just of the family but of all Mexicans. Just as Antigua Casa de la Malinche has been reconstructed. Now, let’s continue our journey.