India Catalina
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Monument to India Catalina in Cartagena, Colombia‎

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.

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.

The name of de Catalina Indian, appeared in a letter sent for Pedro de Heredia to King Carlos V in 1533. One said that she`s of Zamba (Galerazamba) appears reefing her kidnapping and her traumatic infancy. What was her real name?. Any one couldn’t say because she began call her Catalina from 1509 when the expeditionary Diego de Nicuesa kidnapping and take her to Santo Domingo where was educate as Spanish. As that moment she would dress for all time of Spanish dress. She has considered of a slave Catalina.

When they returned to Cartagena twenty year after, she was not the same. She was that did the first contact with Corinche Indian after of her arrived with Heredia, the 14TH January of 1533. She was the translate of the Heredia in the pacification of the much indians towns as turbacos that he eliminated in combat to Juan de La Cosa many years ago., and Carex y Baharie caciques and has known to Spaniards where´s the gold place of Zipacoa y Mahates

Amount of June of 1533 Heredia took to north to Catalina Indian to Cartagena province expedition. In that march she found with your families and they submitted under Pedro de Heredia in form of greats

Monument

The monument is located in the historic center of Cartagena. St Felipe castle in the background

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.

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

External links

• Places of interest in Cartagena