Born and raised in Carora, Inés was lost by her father in a card game and was forced to marry Pedro de Ávila, a drunken, gambling, and violent man who made her life miserable. Inés shared a deep bond and an incestuous relationship with her niece, Juanita. Her life changed when Jorge Voto, a dance master and musician who prided himself on teaching Spanish courtly customs, arrived in town.