[4] María was a leader of great prestige and power among the Tehuelche people, known for her skills as a ruler and merchant with European settlers and explorers.

[2] Her influence covered the entirety of Argentine Patagonia, from the Río Negro to the Strait of Magellan.

[5] During her rule, she came into contact with the expeditions of James Weddell, Phillip Parker King, Robert FitzRoy and Luis Vernet, among others.

[2][6] The epithet "the Great"—a reference to Catherine II of Russia—was given to María by the latter upon meeting her in the Valdes Peninsula, in the present-day Argentine province of Chubut, in 1828.

[5] After being appointed as the commander of the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) in 1831 by the Argentine government, Vernet invited María to the islands for the purpose of establishing trade relations between their territories.