La Quintrala
Encyclopedia
Catalina de los Ríos y Lisperguer (Santiago de Chile, 1604 - † 1665) was an aristocratic
17th century Chile
an landowner, nicknamed La Quintrala because of her flaming red hair. During Chile's colonial period
, she was noted for her extreme cruelty to her inquils (tenants), accused and tried for over 40 murders, becoming an icon of colonial abuse and oppression. She died in Santiago at the age of about 60. Her figure still lives in Chilean popular culture as the epitome of the perverse and abusive woman, as well as the oppression of Spanish
rule. Catalina de los Ríos was of Spanish
, German
and Amerindian descent.
Danish composer Lars Graugaard
composed an opera based on her. Graugaard's opera La Quintrala for five singers and interactive computer was premiered September 2, 2004 in Copenhagen
.
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
17th century Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an landowner, nicknamed La Quintrala because of her flaming red hair. During Chile's colonial period
Kingdom of Chile
The General Captaincy of Chile or Gobernacion de Chile, was an administrative territory of the Viceroyalty of Peru in the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818, the year in which it declared itself independent, becoming the Republic of Chile...
, she was noted for her extreme cruelty to her inquils (tenants), accused and tried for over 40 murders, becoming an icon of colonial abuse and oppression. She died in Santiago at the age of about 60. Her figure still lives in Chilean popular culture as the epitome of the perverse and abusive woman, as well as the oppression of Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
rule. Catalina de los Ríos was of Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and Amerindian descent.
Danish composer Lars Graugaard
Lars Graugaard
Lars Graugaard is a Danish composer, performer, media artist and sonologist. He is a graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, where he studied flute and Oxford Brookes University where he defended a PhD in gesture and emotion in interactive music.-References:***** at DVM* at DVM...
composed an opera based on her. Graugaard's opera La Quintrala for five singers and interactive computer was premiered September 2, 2004 in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
See also
- History of ChileHistory of ChileThe territory of Chile has been populated since at least 2,000 BC. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to subdue and colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory became a colony from 1540 to 1818, when it gained independence from Spain...
- Benjamín Vicuña MackennaBenjamín Vicuña MackennaBenjamín Vicuña Mackenna was a Chilean writer, journalist, historian and politician. Vicuña Mackenna was of Irish and Basque descent.-Biography:...
, author of Los Lisperguer y La Quintrala (1877) - Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova
- Elizabeth BáthoryElizabeth BáthoryCountess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
- Delphine LaLaurieDelphine LaLaurieMarie Delphine LaLaurie , more commonly known as Madame LaLaurie, was a Louisiana-born socialite, known for her involvement in the torture of black slaves....
- Ilse KochIlse KochIlse Koch, née Köhler , was the wife of Karl-Otto Koch, commandant of the Nazi concentration camps Buchenwald from 1937 to 1941, and Majdanek from 1941 to 1943...