Mexican Indian princess, one of a group of female slaves given as a peace offering to the Spanish conquistadors by the Tabascan Indians (1519); she became mistress, guide, and interpreter to Hernán Cortés (Cortés, Hernán, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca) during his conquest of Mexico. The success of his ventures was often directly attributable to her services.

Renouncing her Indian name, Malintzin, on her conversion to Christianity, Doña Marina served her adopted countrymen with dedication. Her intelligence and tact and her knowledge of the Maya language of the coast and the Nahuatl language of the interior extricated the Spaniards from many perilous situations. She bore Cortés a son, Martín, and later married one of his soldiers, Juan de Jaramillo, with whom she journeyed to Spain, where she was warmly received at the Spanish court.