So i learned in an american history class that Hernan Cortez just happened to arrive in the Aztec civilization in the exact way and at the exact time that the Aztecs believed their god, Quetzalcoatl would? And there was an Aztec translator called la Malinche who translated the Aztec's language so that Hernan Cortez could understand it. When and where was she supposed to learn spanish? it only took less than two years for Hernan Cortez to conquer the aztecs once he arrived. I looked up some more information about la Malinche. Apparently she knew Nahuatl (the native aztec language) and Mayan, and there was someone else, a priest named Geronimo de Aguilar who translated from Mayan to Spanish. in order for Cortez to know to arrive at the Aztec Empire in the time and manner that he did, he would have needed to know a little bit about Aztec mythology. In order to know that little bit of aztec mythology, he would have needed it to be translated into spanish, which means he would have needed to have met both of them before he arrived at the aztec empire. Now, wikipedia is not always a reliable source, but it is usually good for getting general background information, especially if it cites its sources well. According to this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ger%C3%B3nimo_de_Aguilar
it sounds like Aguilar didn't join up with Cortez until after the invasion began. If that is the case, then la Malinche would have needed to have already known at least a little bit of spanish to have told Cortez about Aztec mythology before he arrived at the Aztec Empire, since she would not yet have had Aguilar to translate what she said from Mayan to Spanish.
The Texlacans were enemies of the Aztecs who looked a lot like them and spoke the same language, and they ALSO happened to be allies of the Spanish. If La Malinche was actually a Texlacan spy, it would explain both how she would have learned some spanish before meeting Aguilar, and would also explain why she would even want to conspire against the Aztec empire in the first place.
So was la Malinche a Texlacan spy? All of this really seems like too big of a coincidence, otherwise.
There are two important Quetzalcoatls in Mesoamerica. The first is the Quetzalcoatl the God, the Feathered Serpent, the one most people think of when they hear the name. The second is Ce Acatl Topilitzin Quetzalcoatl, the legendary once-and-future king of the Toltecs, who was banished from his kingdom and vowed one day to return. It's important to note that "Ce Acatl" is his Day Sign, presumably the name of the day on which he was born. But Day Signs are also used to name years on a cycle that repeats every 52 years. On the Aztec calendar, it was the year Ce Acatl, so Cortes' arrival was portentously / coincidentally (depending on your point of view) aligned with the famed Toltec king.
But the idea that Cortes himself was Ce Acatl come again appears to be a post-hoc application of the legend. Cortes never mentions being mistaken for a god or as a returning king. It's something that pops up in histories decades later. See this previous question for more details.
When and where was she supposed to learn spanish?
She learned as she traveled with Cortes. She didn't know any Spanish to begin with.
in order for Cortez to know to arrive at the Aztec Empire in the time and manner that he did, he would have needed to know a little bit about Aztec mythology.
Cortes didn't know because no one, not even the Aztecs, were expecting any prophetic returns at the time.
it sounds like Aguilar didn't join up with Cortez until after the invasion began. If that is the case, then la Malinche would have needed to have already known at least a little bit of spanish
Aguilar joined up with Cortes first, then Cortes received la Malinche as a peace offering from a Maya kingdom that had kept her as a slave. Cortes originally gave her to one of his underlings before sending that guy back to Spain to like the king know what was going on and justify Cortes' actions.
The Texlacans were enemies of the Aztecs who looked a lot like them and spoke the same language, and they ALSO happened to be allies of the Spanish.
The Tlaxcalans were eventual allies of the Spanish. They started out as enemies though. The Tlaxcalans defeated the Spanish in battle, but before their general Xicotencatl the Younger could finish them off, one of their political leaders (Xicotencatl the Elder) intervened, thinking that the Spanish had put up a good fight and would be a useful blunt instrument to beat against the Aztecs. His son protested but yielded, opening the door to the Spanish-Tlaxcala alliance.
It's quite unlikely that La Malinche was a Tlaxcalan spy. If she was, she wasn't a particularly good one.
Of course, we do know that the Spanish did end up with a few "translators" who turned out to be double agents - though mostly against the Spanish. The most famous is the man that the Spanish called "The Turk." He had been a slave held by the Tiwa at Tiguex Pueblo, but was originally from somewhere on the eastern Great Plains. The Tiwa offered him his freedom if he would "guide" Coronado until he was good and lost on the Great Plains. Unfortunately for the Turk, Coronado picked up a second guide along the way who wasn't in on the plan. Their conflicting directions exposed the plot, and Coronado had the Turk executed.
During de Soto's entrada, one of the Timucuan leaders in northern Florida gained considerable intelligence about the Spanish's capabilities and how to counter them from de Soto's translators. Unfortunately for the Timucua, one of the translators got cold feet about the plot and informed de Soto's men about the impending attack. In another example, Tuskaloosa - leader of the the Mississippian chiefdom that occupied central Alabama at the time and the man against who de Soto would win a crippling pyrrhic victory - seeded spies among the slaves and porters de Soto had accumulated along the way.