advantage of the confusion and disorder engendered among the Indians by the gory heads, and spurred on Suárez, succeeded in driving the now disordered Indians from the town. One historian wrote, "The Indians said afterward that the Christians would have been defeated were it not for a woman on a white horse." In 1545, in recognition of her courage and valor, Valdivia rewarded Suárez with an encomienda. His testament of dedication said in part: Later life Suárez continued to live openly with Pedro de Valdivia, until the time of his trial in Lima. One of the charges levelled against him was that he, being married, openly lived with her "...in the manner of man and wife". In exchange for being freed, and his confirmation as Royal Governor, he was forced to relinquish her and to bring to Chile his wife, Marina Ortiz de Gaete, who only arrived after Valdivia's death in 1554. He was also ordered to marry Suárez off. Suárez was married in 1549 to Valdivia's captain, Rodrigo de Quiroga, when she was 42 and the groom was 38. After her marriage, she led a very quiet life, dedicated to her home and to charity. She was held in great esteem in Chile, as being a valiant woman and a great captain. Eventually, after the death of Valdivia, her husband twice became Royal Governor himself, in 1565 and 1575. They both died in Santiago de Chile, within months of each other, in 1580. Suárez's legacy Suárez is seen as a symbol of a Chilean woman standing up to authority like Paula Jaraquemada and Javiera Carrera. She is still mentioned as a role model to contemporary protestors against mistreatment. Suárez is the main character in several historical novels, such as "Inés y las raíces de la tierra", ("Inés and the roots of the land"), by María Correa Morande (ZigZag, 1964), "Ay Mamá Inés - Crónica Testimonial" ("Woe, Momma Inés - Testimonial Chronicle") (Andres Bello, 1993) by Jorge Guzmán, and "Inés of My Soul" () by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins, 2006). In her author's note Allende wrote: "This novel is a work of intuition, but any similarity to events and persons relating to the conquest of Chile is not coincidental". Allende's novel has been adapted as a Spanish-Chilean television series in 2020. Elena Rivera (27-year-old during shooting) plays Suárez. Further reading See also Arauco War Francisco de Aguirre Jerónimo de Alderete Catalina