India Catalina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
India Catalina (c. 1495 – c. 1529), was an indigenous woman (almost certainly Calamari) from the Colombian Atlantic coast, who accompanied Pedro de Heredia and played a role in the Spanish conquest of Colombia, acting as interpreter and intermediary. In Colombia today, India Catalina remains as an icon of the extermination of the Precolumbian inhabitants. Her life has plenty of similarities with the Mexican La Malinche.
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[edit] History
Catalina was abducted in 1509 by Spanish conqueror Diego de Nicuesa in an indigenous settlement known as Zamba o Galerazamba, where she was the daughter of the local chief. She was sent to Santo Domingo, where she learned the Spanish language and adopted the Catholic religion. As a requirement of Pedro de Heredia, she served as an interpreter to the Native Americans and after that she married Alonso Montañez, Pedro de Heredia's nephew.
The events of the Spanish conquest in the area of modern Cartagena ended with the complete annihilation of the Calamari people.
[edit] Monument
The monument to India Catalina was sculpted by Eladio Gil Zambrana and presented to the public in 1974. Small scale replicas are used in the Cartagena Film Festival awards.
[edit] References
- Lecturas: Fin de Semana El Tiempo newspaper, pag. 2, Vicente Martinez Emilliani, September 9th 2006
- Diario El Universal de Cartagena
- BIOGRAFÍAS DE HOMBRES ILUSTRES Ó NOTABLES, Relativas á la época del Descubrimiento, Conquista y Colonización de la parte de América denominada actualmente Estados Unidos de Colombia. Doña Soledad Acosta De Samper, 1883
