La señoraza / The lady

La Señoraza Lagoon is actually a lake located in the commune of Laja (Chile) in the Biobío Region, in the southeast corner of the city. In the 16th century, Inés de Suárez traveled to these lands in search of a lost love, only to fall in love with none other than Pedro de Valdivia. But that love was forbidden, as the conquistador was already married, so Doña Inés ended up marrying Rodrigo de Quiroga. The lagoon's name comes from the fact that Don Pedro de Valdivia saw Doña Inés de Suárez bathing naked under the stars in the darkness of a warm night in the waters of the lake. Don Pedro sighed deeply in love with that forbidden love and said, "Inés, of my soul, you are a Lady."

It is said that the oldest owner of the lake's surroundings, a beautiful woman, used to give orders to her workers while mounted on a horse, which she rode imposingly and stately. She was deceived by an outsider to whom she gave her love, and from there comes this legend of "the lagoon" that always takes an outsider with her, to its depths.