Intersectional Identities of Maritornes in Don Quijote.

The article analyzes the character Maritornes from part 1, chapter 16 of *Don Quijote* through the lens of intersectionality, a concept developed by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw to describe how overlapping social identities can compound marginalization. Maritornes's identities as a woman, a migrant from Asturias, visually and physically disabled, conventionally unattractive or ugly, and sexually promiscuous collectively "multiply-burden" her within early modern Spanish society, limiting her social and economic mobility. However, her honesty, charm, kindness, intellectual independence, and insistence on bodily autonomy distinguish her from stereotypical female representations and afford her a degree of agency. The article also situates Maritornes's migratory status and sexuality as potential, though limited, avenues for economic and social advancement, while highlighting the complex interplay of disability, gender, and class in her characterization.