India Catalina (1495 – May 11, 1538) was an Indigenous child of Mokaná ethnicity from the Colombian Atlantic coast, who was kidnapped by Pedro de Heredia to be an interpreter and intermediary, playing a role in the Spanish conquest of Colombia.
History Catalina, the daughter of a local chief, was abducted in 1509 by Spanish conquistador Diego de Nicuesa from an indigenous settlement known as Zamba o Galerazamba in the department of Bolívar.Archivo General de Indias. Probanza de Álvaro de Torres, Alguacil del Cartagena. Santa Fe, 80, N. 10 A, fol. (41 r) 2.De Castellanos, Juan. Historia de Cartagena, op. cit., p. 22.Simón, Pedro, Fray, op. cit., Tomo V, Capítulo XIII, p. 73. She was sent to Santo Domingo, where she learned the Spanish language and adopted the Catholic Christian faith, although she was still considered a slave.Urbina Joiro Hernán. Entre las huellas de la india Catalina. Bogotá. Universidad del Rosario, 2017, p. 80. She served as an interpreter to the Native Americans under Pedro de Heredia during his conquest of Colombia.Fernández de Oviedo, Gonzalo. Natural y General Historia de las Indias, op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 144. She was also his concubine for many years,Archivo General de Indias. Información tomada por el obispo. Declara Juan Alonso Palomino, criado del gobernador Pedro de Heredia, el 22 de noviembre de 1535. Justicia, fol. 33r.Archivo General de Indias. Declaración de Juan Alonso Palomino, criado del Gobernador Pedro de Heredia. Justicia, 522. but after she took him to court for stealing gold,Archivo General de Indias. Primera declaración de la india Catalina contra Pedro de Heredia en primer juicio de residencia en Cartagena. Justicia, 521, Fol. 169R a Fol.170.Archivo General de Indias. Segunda declaración de la india Catalina contra Pedro de Heredia en primer juicio de residencia en Cartagena. Justicia, Justicia 522, Fol.191V a Fol.192. it is possible that Pedro had her married to his nephew Alonso Montañez.Urbina Joiro Hernán. Entre las huellas de la india Catalina. Bogotá. Universidad del Rosario, 2017, p. 80.
The name "india (the indian) Catalina" appeared in a letter sent for Pedro de Heredia to King Carlos V in 1533. Her indigenous name was never mentioned in the documents.
According to the Colombian drama series "La reina de Indias y el conquistador" (The Queen and the Conqueror), her indigenous names are Katalydeyewua and Kaitegua.
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.Urbina Joiro, Hernán. Entrevista a Víctor Nieto. Cartagena. 2004. En: Entre las huellas de la india Catalina, Universidad del Rosario, 2017, p. 124.
See also La Malinche Sacagawea Pocahontas
References
Lecturas: Fin de Semana El Tiempo newspaper, pag. 2, Vicente Martinez Emilliani, September 9, 2006 Dr. Luis Fernando Villanueva 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 Wikimedia Commons has a multimedia category named India Catalina.