Madilla

Madilla is Catalina’s servant and nursemaid, a Moorish-born convert whose knowledge of Arabic and the Alhambra Palace’s inscriptions makes her an important link between the young princess and the culture being displaced around her. The narrative presents her in sharply contrasting situations: vulnerable in a burning camp, defensive about her origins, and yet indispensable as a teacher of the palace’s written heritage.

Identity and Background

Madilla serves Catalina from the princess’s childhood. Juana of Castile says that Madilla was born and raised among the Moors and converted to Christianity for convenience. The account is attributed to Juana, while Madilla herself is described as denying her Moorish roots and pretending not to know about Moorish life. Her conversion and concealment place her between the Christian royal household she serves and the background she is said to disavow.

In the Burning Camp

During a night of fire and confusion, Madilla cries out that they must run and hide. Catalina, herself a child left behind as her parents ride away to help restore order, snaps at her to be quiet and invokes her own rank as Princess of Wales to dismiss Madilla’s fear. The exchange makes their unequal positions plain: both are exposed to danger, but Catalina can appeal to royal status while Madilla is treated as a subordinate whose alarm can be overruled.

Interpreter of the Alhambra

When the Spanish royal family enters the Alhambra Palace, Catalina sees Arabic writing on its walls and demands to know what it says. Madilla initially says that she does not know; Juana then presses her, and Madilla translates an inscription expressing a hope that justice under Islam will prevail there. Her answer gives the conquered palace a voice in the scene: its words assert a faith and a vision of justice that the victorious household rejects.

Later, Madilla teaches Catalina the meanings of inscriptions throughout the palace. Catalina recalls that Madilla’s favorite was an inscription in the Court of the Two Sisters, which asks whether anyone has seen such a beautiful garden and praises its abundance and fragrance. Madilla’s knowledge thus exceeds a single translation: she becomes Catalina’s guide to the language that gives the palace its history and meaning.

Narrative Significance

Madilla’s role carries an irony the narrative leaves visible. Although she is said to conceal her Moorish background, she is the person Catalina relies on to understand the Arabic writing; the very knowledge Madilla disclaims becomes essential to the princess’s attachment to the palace. Through Madilla, the inscriptions are not merely decoration but testimony to a culture and ideal of justice that survive the change of rulers in the spaces Catalina remembers as her garden and paradise.