Now that Nacho Cano is making headlines, from Exaudi, we want to remember and recognize the work that is raising so much controversy.
The musical “Malinche” invites us to reflect on how to correct historical errors, and return dignity and respect to a woman often mistreated by tradition. Nacho Cano, a former member of Mecano, addresses it with the best music, impressive choreographies, and impressive scenery.
The work reminds us how Moctezuma, chief of the Aztecs, predicted the arrival of a new God, a being that would bring a new era. That God, who arrived with Hernán Cortés, brought with him a new religion that rejected human sacrifices and spoke of love, hope, and mercy.
Thus, Malinche, along with other enslaved women, saw in the God that the Spaniards brought an illusion, a hope. They were freely baptized, convinced that they would abandon slavery, a contrast with the forced sacrifices in the Mexican temples.
Malinche, sold by her people, fell in love with Cortés, and from that relationship, Martín was born, the first mestizo, a symbol of a new race. The musical sums up this fusion with the phrase: “I am the son of mezcal, the sword, and flamenco, pure American, Mexican, and Spanish.”
Cano emphasizes that, in this story, there are no winners or losers. The meeting of two worlds resulted in a new race. “If choosing love is treason, I will be the queen of treason,” Malinche proudly acknowledges in the musical.
The appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe could not be missed. The stage is filled with the image that she herself wanted to give us on the clothing of the Indian Juan Diego. This cultural fusion is underlined in her, with her hands of different colors, symbolizing the union of two peoples. Her pregnant presence and the symbol of the Nahui Ollin on her clothing announce the beginning of a new era. She herself asked that a basilica be built where the goddess Tonantzin was once worshipped.
With more than ten years of work behind it, the result of “Malinche” is spectacular. The scenery recreates temples, jungles, lakes and volcanoes, while the dance, led by Jesús Carmona and Olga Llorente, overflows with art. The interpretation of the young Malinche, played by Lucía de la Torre, is moving, and the music by Nacho Cano, unbeatable.
“Malinche” is, ultimately, a reconciliation with history, the restoration of the image of a woman who knew how to mediate between two worlds, and, above all, a recognition of the God of love. This musical, by Nacho Cano, will soon premiere in Mexico, where, without a doubt, the Virgin of Guadalupe will be waiting for her.
