# Esmeralda (Mexican TV series)

Esmeralda is a Mexican telenovela produced by Salvador Mejía Alejandre for Televisa in 1997. It is a remake of a famous 1970 Venezuelan telenovela of that same name Esmeralda original story by Delia Fiallo.
It stars Leticia Calderón, Fernando Colunga, Enrique Lizalde, Laura Zapata, Salvador Pineda and Ignacio López Tarso.
On Monday, May 5, 1997, Canal de las Estrellas started broadcasting Esmeralda weekdays at 8:00pm, replacing Mujer, casos de la vida real. The last episode was broadcast on Friday, November 14, 1997 with Desencuentro replacing it the following Monday. It was the first collaboration between Fernando Colunga and Juan Pablo Gamboa, who would both later work in La usurpadora (1998), which is also a production of Mejia.
In the United States, it was first broadcast on Univision from December 15, 1997 to July 9, 1998.
In 1998 it was named "The Best Telenovela of the Year" by Premios TVyNovelas.

## Plot

Rodolfo Peñareal is obsessed with having a male child. After many miscarriages, his wife Blanca is pregnant again. One night, a girl is born, but they believe that she was born dead.
In the same town, in another, more humble house, a boy is born, but his mother dies during labor. The midwife and Crisanta, the nanny of Blanca, with their best intention and with the aim to calm down Rodolfo, decide to exchange the children.
While Blanca is unconscious, Crisanta gives a pair of emerald earrings to the midwife, forcing her to forget what happened on that night. Once the exchange is done, the midwife Dominga, discovers that the girl is not dead, but now it is too late to right the wrong.
In this way, the boy that was born in a miserable hut sees his first light in the opulence of a big house, while the sweet little girl who was entitled to a golden crib, gives her first steps among ramshackle walls and misery.
Esmeralda, the Peñareal's baby girl, was born blind, but the kindness of her heart provides her the light to be happy and the illusion to believe that someday she will meet love. Her eyes are the "eyes of love".
Time passes and the destiny of both of the children, Esmeralda and José Armando, comes across as they instantly fall in love. However, the obsession, the wish, the family interests, the false love of a woman and the Peñareal's pride to make their lineage prevail, destroy any noble feeling.
Esmeralda and José Armando are the victims in this sea of resentment that, little by little, submerges them into the darkness of indifference.

## Cast

| Actor | Character | Description |
| Leticia Calderón | Esmeralda Rosales Peñarreal de Velasco | Born blind, when she was a baby it was thought that she was dead and was switched by Dominga & Crisanta with Jose Armando, her name comes from the emerald earrings Crisanta gave to Dominga, is in love with Jose Armando, Jose Armando's wife, Jose Rodolfo's mother, Rodolfo & Blanca's biological daughter, Alvaro's ex-fiancée, Dominga raised her since birth, Fatima's niece, Graciela's cousin, she befriends everyone |
| Fernando Colunga | José Armando Peñarreal de Velasco | Doctor of General Medicine, his real mother died during childbirth and Dominga gave him to Crisanta to take the place of Esmeralda which they thought was dead, in love with Esmeralda, Esmeralda's husband, supposed real son of Rodolfo & Blanca, both his biological parents are deceased, Jose Rodolfo's father, Fatima's nephew, ex-fiancé/cousin of Graciela, colleague/ex-friend of Alvaro, colleague/best friend of Sebastian, ex-fiancé of Georgina |
| Laura Zapata | Fátima Linares vda. de Peñarreal | Villain, later becomes good, Graciela's mother, Rodolfo's & Blanca's sister-in-law, Jose Armando's & Esmeralda's aunt, she wants Graciela to marry Jose Armando for his money because her husband died and barely left any inheritance, Dr. Malaver & Georgina's former accomplice in the scheme to distance Esmeralda from Jose Armando |
| Nora Salinas | Graciela "Gracielita" Peñarreal Linares vda. de Valverde | Fatima's daughter, Rodolfo's & Blanca's niece, Esmeralda's cousin, Jose Armando's cousin/ex-fiancée, Jose Rodolfo's aunt, Emiliano's widow, Gustavo & Rita's ex-daughter-in-law, crazy in love with Adrian, died from an overdose of pills because of her desperate love for Adrian |
| Alejandro Ruiz | Adrián Lucero | Dioniso's son, Floresita's brother, his first and great love was with Graciela, in love with Aurora, Aurora's husband, Socorro's son-in-law, befriends everyone, a Casa Grande employee |
| Enrique Lizalde | Don Rodolfo Peñarreal | Esmeralda's biological father, Jose Armando's father, Blanca's husband, Jose Rodolfo's grandfather, Fatima's brother-in-law, Graciela's uncle, Casa Grande owner |
| Raquel Morell | Doña Blanca de Velasco de Peñarreal | Esmeralda's biological mother, Jose Armando's mother, Rodolfo's wife, Jose Rodolfo's grandmother, Fatima's sister-in-law, Graciela's aunt |
| Alberto Ortiz | José Rodolfo Peñarreal Peñarreal | Esmeralda & Jose Armando's son, Rodolfo's & Blanca's grandson, Dominga's adoptive grandson |
| Ana Patricia Rojo | Georgina Pérez-Montalvo Forero | Villain, Bernardo's daughter, madly in love with Jose Armando, hates Esmeralda, always tries to separate Jose Armando from Esmeralda, Dr. Malaver's & Fatima's former accomplice to distance Esmeralda from Jose Armando |
| Salvador Pineda | Dr. Lucio Malaver | Villain, the village doctor, half of his face is disfigured due to a fire, in love with Esmeralda, he demanded that Esmeralda become his, claimed that Jose Rodolfo is his son, died of a heart attack, before he died he confessed to Jose Armando that Jose Rodolfo is his son and not Dr. Malaver's as he claimed. Georgina's & Fatima' s former accomplice |
| Ignacio López Tarso | Melesio "El Bobo Melesio" | Native man who loves Esmeralda and Jose Rodolfo (or Esmeraldito as he calls him) with all his heart, befriends everyone |
| Juan Pablo Gamboa | Dr. Álvaro Lazcano | Ophthalmologist, ex-fiancé of Esmeralda, colleague and ex-friend of Jose Armando, Hortensia's son, broke off his engagement with Esmeralda after finding out that she still loves Jose Armando |
| Gustavo Rojo | Dr. Bernardo Pérez-Montalvo Larrazábal | Georgina's father, Jose Armando's professor and doctor, good friend with Dr. Malaver, died following a stroke episode |
| Raquel Olmedo | Dominga Ortiz Herrera | Raised Esmeralda, she kept the secret about Esmeralda and Jose Armando along with Crisanta for many years, Jose Rodolfo's adoptive grandmother |
| Rosita Pelayo | Hilda Ortega Olmedo | Nurse, friend, and colleague of Esmeralda |
| Irán Eory | Sister Piedad | Sister nun from the orphanage, gave Esmeralda and Dominga a place to stay when they went to city |
| Natasha Dupeyrón | Esmeralda | As a child |
| Noé Murayama | Fermín | Esmeralda's mentor, gravedigger and administrator in the village cemetery, died after an illness (actor become sick during the filming of the telenovela and was hospitalized with serious liver problems and died after some time) |
| Elsa Cárdenas | Hortensia vda. de Lazcano | Alvaro's mother, Esmeralda's ex-future mother-in-law, she taught her to read and write after Esmeralda regained her sight |
| Raúl Padilla "Choforo" | Trolebús | Befriends everyone, left the city and lives in the village, replaced Fermin in the cemetery and took over |
| Dina de Marco | Crisanta | Blanca, Jose Armando, & Graciela's nanny, her and Dominga switched Esmeralda and Jose Armando at birth and kept it a secret for years, she loves Blanca, Esmeralda, Jose Armando and Graciela as though they were her own children |
| Raquel Pankowsky | Juana | Dr. Malaver's maid, is in love with Dr. Malaver |
| Elsa Navarrete | Aurora "Aurorita" de Lucero | Socorro's daughter, in love with Adrian, Adrian's wife, Florecita's sister-in-law, Dionisio's daughter-in-law, Esmeralda & Dominga's roommate and friend, Jose Rodolfo's Godmother |
| Esther Rinaldi | Flor de la Caridad "Florecita" Lucero | Dionisio's daughter, Adrian's sister, Esmeralda's best friend, Aurora's friend/sister-in-law, befriends everyone |
| Juan Carlos Serrán/ Rafael Amador | Dionisio Lucero | Adrian's & Florecita's father, Rodolfo's foreman of Casa Grande, suffering from a serious pneumonia, Aurora's father-in-law |
| María Luisa Alcalá | Doña Socorro | Aurora's mother, Adrian mother-in-law, Esmeralda & Dominga's roommate and friend |
| Rafael del Villar | Dr. Sebastián Robles-Gil | Colleague and best friend of Jose Armando |
| Sergio Jurado | Lic. Joaquín Estrada | Dr. Malaver's lawyer |
| Roberto D'Amico | Gustavo Valverde | Emiliano's father, Rita' s husband, Graciela's ex-father-in-law |
| Dacia González | Rita de Valverde | Emiliano's mother, Gustavo's wife, Graciela's ex-mother-in-law, hates Graciela because she considers her responsible for the death of Emiliano |
| Isadora González | Tania | Graciela's friend, has a brief fling with Jose Armando |
| María Morena | Doris Camacho | Graciela's friend |
| Úrsula Murayama | Jacinta | Employee/kitchen helper of Casa Grande |
| Dolores Salomón "Bodokito" | Aunt Tula | Cook of Casa Grande |
| Cuco Sánchez | Don Cuco | Socorro & Aurora's neighbor, befriends everyone |
| Alberto Santini | Ignacio "Nacho" | Employee of Casa Grande |
| Irma Torres | Altagracia | Peñarreal's family housekeeper in the city |
| Marco Uriel | Emiliano Valverde | Gustavo's & Rita's dead son, Graciela's dead husband, died in the hospital after a car accident |
| Nicky Mondellini | Dr. Rosario Muñoz | |
| Claudio Rojo | Dr. Valdivia | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Telenovela | Salvador Mejia Alejandre | Won |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Actress | Leticia Calderón | Nominated |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Actor | Fernando Colunga | Nominated |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Antagonist Actress | Laura Zapata | Nominated |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Antagonist Actor | Salvador Pineda | Nominated |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Leading Actor | Enrique Lizalde | Nominated |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Raquel Morell | Nominated |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Revelation | Alejandro Ruiz | Won |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Revelation | Nora Salinas | Nominated |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Direction | Beatriz Sheridan Martha Luna Karina Duprez | Won |
| 1998 | 16th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Direction of the Cameras | Jesús Nájera Saro | Won |
| 1999 | Latin ACE Awards | International Male Figure of the Year | Fernando Colunga | Won |
| 2020 | TLN Awards | Favorite Telenovela | Esmeralda | Nominated |
| 2020 | TLN Awards | Best Protagonist | Leticia Calderon | Nominated |
| 2020 | TLN Awards | Best Antagonist | Salvador Pineda | Nominated |