I am currently reading The Memoirs of Dona Marina and while reading her book, I came to realize that Dona Marina was intelligent from an early age.  Her mother was Mayan and her father Aztec.  Both were well off and she enjoyed many benefits, obtaining education both in politics along side her father and women duties and dominance from her mother; this is were she was able to learn different Mayan dialects that eventually served her well during the conquest.

Dona Marina was sold off by her step father in order for her young step brother to acquire her position.  When kidnapped, Dona Marina was raped several times by her captors, because as she mentioned, she had developed breast and hips at an early age.  Another Aztec young lady, Xitalia, had also been kidnapped with Dona Marina, but her virginity was not stolen from her, because as Dona Marina says, she was heavy (24).  Xitalia would become very hysterical whenever she would loose site of Dona Marina fearing that Marina would suffer again.

Hepple, Jeffry S. The Treasure of La Malinche. Vol. 1. 2008. Print.

Before entering the City of Tabasco, Dona Marina and Xitalia went to a House of Many Women (prostitutes).  When Marina met the head woman, she gave her a gold earring in exchange of a bath for both her and Xitalia to look presentable before their new leader.  Dona Marina then explained to the head women that her virginity had been stolen from her so now she needed guidance regarding her sexuality in order to be in good favor with her new master.  In her memoirs, Marina mentions that loosing her virginity was more so a relief of the responsibility of being a virgin.  Now she could enjoy the ecstasy of sex her mom used to speak of.

Dona Marina was a very smart women who learned of a women’s dominance of a man at an early age as her mother dominated her father perfectly.  Through the loss of her virginity, Dona Marina realized that she had to grow up and act as a woman and try her best to survive and be in good favor of men.  Dona Marina was able to seal the deal with her new master and she was able to stay in the palace with full service along side Xitalia, who Lord Mayor Tabasco thought she was fat too.  Dona Marina came of age through rape, but never felt lesser than anyone else.