Topilzin, a scribe and the illegitimate son of Montezuma, finds himself at odds with the new Spanish rule. Refusing the new Christian religion and assaulting a friar, Topilzin is handed over to the army by his brother and brought to Hernán Cortés and his lover, Tecuichpo. Topilzin's life is spared and he is flogged in public, receiving a spiritual revelation. Topilzin abandons his life as a scribe to become a monk, joining an order led by friar Diego.
Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox, the film was released in Mexico in 1999 by Twentieth Century Fox, "enjoying the biggest opening weekend of any Mexican film in history on its home turf".[4] In a 60-print release, it grossed nearly $2 million in Mexico and was one of the top five films in the country in the past 12 months.[5] The film performed well in the United States for a foreign language film. It opened on 74 screens in Los Angeles and grossed nearly $400,000 in its first five days.[5] It went on to gross $894,410 in the United States, including its 2007 rerelease.[6]
Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes gives a score of 85% based on 13 reviews.[7] The film's song-cycle Solamente Sola was descibred as "couched in effusive and seductive folk styles... a hauntingly evocative cycle on poems by Salvador Carrasco".[8]
