# Destino de Mujer

Destino de mujer (English title: Destiny of a Woman) is a Venezuelan telenovela created by Mariela Romero and produced in 1997 as a joint production of Venevisión and Televisión Española. The telenovela lasted for 136 episodes and was distributed internationally by Venevisión International.
Sonya Smith and Jorge Reyes starred as the main protagonists with Yajaira Orta, Henry Galué, Tatiana Capote, Gabriela Vergara and Rafael Romero as antagonists.

## Plot

A murder committed in the past marks the life of Mariana Oropeza and Víctor Manuel Santana, two young people who fall in love without knowing of the past that links them.
Years ago, Alfredo Oropeza killed Victor Manuel's father, stole his fortune and raped his fiancée, Aurora, whom he had always desired. After killing Esteban, Victor Manuel's father, the servants run for their lives together with his little brother Luis Miguel. But as they are being pursued by Alfredo's men, the nanny carrying Luis Miguel falls into a river. Traumatized and half naked, Aurora arrives at a Church calling for help. But her evil sister, Lucrecia, convinces her that everything that is happening was her fault, and has her locked up in a mental asylum. Nine months later, Aurora gives birth to a baby girl called Mariana, the product of her rape. Lucrecia takes away her niece and blackmails Alfredo—whom she has always loved—into marrying her.
Years later, Mariana and Víctor Manuel meet each other after they compete to win for an international business contract. They both cannot ignore the mutual attraction they feel for each other, until Víctor Manuel discovers that Mariana is the daughter of his worst enemy and the murderer of his father. Víctor Manuel decides to take revenge by seducing Mariana, but he cannot imagine that he will end up falling in love with her.

## Cast
### Main cast

* Sonya Smith as Mariana Oropeza Castillo
* Jorge Reyes as Víctor Manuel Santana
* Carlos Camacho as Luis Miguel Restrepo
* Lupita Ferrer as Aurora Inés Acosta
* Tatiana Capote as Griselda Ascanio
* Pedro Lander as Ramón Santana
* Gabriela Vergara as Vanessa Medina
* Rafael Romero as Rodolfo Anzola
* Raúl Amundaray as Artemio Ruíz
* Henry Galué as Alfredo Oropeza
* Javier Valcárcel as Juan Félix

### Supporting cast

* Yajaira Orta as Lucrecia Castillo de Oropeza
* Carmen Julia Álvarez as Caridad Tovar
* Chony Fuentes as Irma Santana
* Alberto Álvarez as Humberto Maldonado
* Pedro Martín as Izaguirre
* María Eugenia Penagos as Margarita
* Jalymar Salomon as Martha
* Wanda D'Isidoro as Thaís Santana
* Sonia Villamizar as Nereida Tovar
* Carlos Baute as Pedro José
* Yul Bürkle as Arnaldo
* Roberto Messuti as Augusto Santana
* Jeanette Flores as Mariana Salcedo
* Roberto Lamarca as Ignacio
* Ernesto Balzi
* Alexis Escámez
* Lucio Bueno
* Mario Brito

## Broadcasters

| Country | Alternate title/Translation | TV network(s) | Series premiere | Series finale | Weekly schedule | Timeslot |
| Venezuela | Destino de Mujer | Venevisión | 1997 | 1998 | Monday to Friday | 10:00 pm |
| Spain | Destino de Mujer | La 1 (Televisión Española) | 1998 | 1999 | Monday to Friday | 5:10 pm |
| Paraguay | Destino de Mujer | Canal 13 | September 4, 2000 | April 6, 2001 | Monday to Friday | 6:00 pm |
| Peru | Destino de Mujer | Panamericana TV | September 11, 2000 | April 13, 2001 | Monday to Friday | 7:00 pm |
| Argentina | Destino de Mujer | Canal 9 | October 5, 1998 | March 19, 1999 | Monday to Friday | 4:00 pm |
| Argentina | Destino de Mujer | 360 TV | | | | |
| Colombia | Destino de Mujer | Canal A | January 5, 1998 | May 29, 1998 | Monday to Friday | 4:15 pm |
| Uruguay | Destino de Mujer | Canal 10 | April 3, 2000 | October 6, 2000 | Monday to Friday | 5:10 pm |
| Chile | Destino de Mujer | Chilevisión | August 17, 1998 | March 6, 1999 | Monday to Friday | 4:05 pm |
| Ecuador | Destino de Mujer | TC Television | | | | |
| Mexico | Destino de Mujer | Galavisión | | | | |
| United States | Destino de Mujer | Univisión | | | | |
| Puerto Rico | Destino de Mujer | Telemundo PR | | | | |
| Dominican Republic | Destino de Mujer | Rahintel | | | | |
| Poland | | Zone Romantica | | | | |

## Trivia

* This is the third of the four telenovelas (Cristal, Rosangelica, Pecados ajenos) that Sonya Smith and Lupita Ferrer worked together.
* It was remade by Mexican TV network TV Azteca entitled Vuélveme a querer, Sonya Smith also appeared here and she played the role as the heroine's mother.
* This is the reunion of Sonya Smith & Lupita Ferrer with Wanda D'Isidoro, who worked w/ each other in Rosangélica; this is also the reunion project of Smith & Carlos Camacho after Colombian TV series Guajira.