La cautiva

work by Echeverría

Also known as: “The Captive Woman”

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July 16, 2026

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La cautiva is a narrative poem by Argentine writer Esteban Echeverría, considered a significant work of 19th-century Latin American literature. Written in the Romantic style, it tells the story of a white woman abducted by indigenous people. Echeverría, a key figure in Argentine Romanticism, was inspired by his time in Paris and sought to develop a national literature that reflected Argentina's social and physical realities. La cautiva is one of his better-known works, alongside his short story "The Slaughterhouse".12

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Esteban Echeverría
Echeverría’s La cautiva (“The Captive Woman”), a long narrative poem about a white woman abducted by the Indians, is also among the better-known works of 19th-century Latin American literature.
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Echeverría’s La cautiva (“The Captive Woman”), a long narrative poem about a white woman abducted by the Indians, is also among the better-known works of 19th-century Latin American literature.
Read More

Latin American literature
Romanticism
The poem, “La cautiva” (“The Captive,” included in Rimas [1837]), is about a white couple, María and Brian, abducted by Indians. His story “El matadero” (“The Slaughterhouse”) was written between 1838 and 1840, but it was not published until 30 years later, after Echeverría’s death. It is…
Read More
The poem, “La cautiva” (“The Captive,” included in Rimas [1837]), is about a white couple, María and Brian, abducted by Indians. His story “El matadero” (“The Slaughterhouse”) was written between 1838 and 1840, but it was not published until 30 years later, after Echeverría’s death. It is…
Read More