Maria de Estrada, Gypsy Conquistadora
By Gloria DuranISBN: 1-891270-01-X
Price: $15.00
Pages: 224
A sweeping fictionalized biography of the most famous woman in Spain's colonial history in Mexico, published in Spanish in September of 1997 by Grupo Patria Cultural in Mexico, Marķa de Estrada was already in its second edition in January of 1998.
The story of Marķa's life begins in Toledo, Spain, whre she is the young grandchild of a rabbi and physician. She is later trained and educated by Gypses in swordplay and horsemanship. And after escaping a death sentence imposed by the Spanish Inquisition, Marķa manages to arrive in the New World where she becomes a warrior fighting alongside Cortez in Spain's military conquest. In later years, however, she is seen as a fierce defender of Mexico's indigenous popluation.