DESCRIPTION:
(The Other Conquest)
Topiltzin (compellingly played by Damián Delgado), the illegitimate son of Moctezuma, is one of the few survivors of Hernan Cortez's invasion. An earnest priest makes it his personal mission to convert the recalcitrant Topiltzin, renaming him Tomas. Topiltzin's half-sister Tecuichpo (Elpidia Carrillo) plays along with the Europeans, learning Spanish and accepting Cortez as her conquering groom, but Topiltzin resists, enduring torture and brainwashing to preserve his own faith and identity, and he secretly prays to his old gods. This is one of the most popular films in Mexican history, and was nominated for six Ariel Awards (won for Best Makeup). Damian Delgado is spectacular, as he was in Men with Guns (Guatemala), and Elpidia Carrillo is also excellent. Her other Indian roles are in La hija del puma (Guatemala) and Nuevo Mundo (below).
Director/writer:Salvador Carrasco
Cinematography:Arturo de la Rosa
Music:Samuel Zyman
Year/length:1999. 105 minutes. Rated R.
Setting:Tenochtitlan, 1520s-30s
Language:Spanish, Nahuatl