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.