# María la del Barrio

María la del Barrio (Lit: Maria From the Hood/English title: Humble Maria) is a Mexican telenovela produced by Angelli Nesma Medina for Televisa in 1995. The series is a remake of Los ricos también lloran. María la del Barrio is considered one of the world's most popular and successful shows ever, having been broadcast in over 180 countries. It is the last part of the Trilogía de las Marías.
The series stars Thalía and Fernando Colunga as protagonists, while Itatí Cantoral starred as main antagonist. The soap opera was referenced in the 2023 movie Blue Beetle with the opening theme making a brief appearance in the movie.

## Plot

María Hernández, a humble and uneducated dreamer, lives with her godmother Casilda on the outskirts of Mexico City and works as a picker of recyclable materials in a landfill. On María's 15th birthday, her godmother dies and asks Father Honorio to find a place for María to work and live. María is welcomed by Fernando De la Vega, a wealthy and influential businessman, who teaches her manners and treats her as family. However, his wife Victoria and maid Carlota despise María upon meeting her.
Luis Fernando, the eldest son of the De la Vega family, is dumped by his girlfriend Brenda and vows to avoid emotional involvement with women, choosing instead to toy with them. He initially engages with María for this purpose but ends up falling in love with her. Soraya Montenegro, Victoria's boastful and proud niece, is in love with Luis Fernando and wants to marry him. She despises María and calls her "marginal."
María gradually earns the friendship and trust of the mansion's residents and staff, including Victoria, who changes her attitude, Lupe the housekeeper, and the younger De la Vega children, Vladimir and Vanessa. Soraya exploits a drunk Luis Fernando, takes him to bed, and presents a fake pregnancy test, forcing him to marry her despite his love for María. To forget Luis Fernando, María dates Vladimir and takes etiquette classes from Doña Caro, hired by Don Fernando. Luis Fernando matures, stops drinking, and starts working at his father's company. He becomes suspicious of Soraya's pregnancy, and she then claims to have had a miscarriage.
Soraya moves into the De la Vega mansion with her nanny, Calixta, who has cared for her since childhood. Soraya frequently fights with María and wants to kill her. Calixta, who is a healer, helps Soraya by putting poisonous weeds in María's water, causing María to fall ill and be hospitalized. María discovers the cause of her illness. Calixta reveals to Soraya that she is her real mother, leading Soraya to angrily kick her out of the mansion. Soraya's lover, Osvaldo, learns of the evil plan and threatens to expose her unless she pays him. In a violent altercation, Soraya tries to kill Osvaldo but ends up falling from a window and is presumed dead. Meanwhile, Luis Fernando and María plan to marry, but a jealous Vladimir decides not to attend the wedding.
During their marriage, Luis Fernando suspects María and his brother Vladimir are lovers. When Vladimir visits the mansion to apologize for missing the wedding, Luis Fernando sees them embracing, leading to a misunderstanding and distancing himself from both. The De la Vega family temporarily moves to Spain, leaving María alone. She becomes pregnant and finds support from Lupe, the housekeeper. During her pregnancy, she suffers from bipolar disorder and fever. Just before giving birth, Luis Fernando files for divorce, prompting María to leave the mansion. She gives birth to a son, Fernando, in a hospital and, mentally unbalanced, wanders the streets with him. She unintentionally gives the baby to a woman named Agripina.
Luis Fernando finds María in a mental hospital and is told their son died. He adopts a baby girl named María de los Ángeles ("Tita"), Veronica's biological daughter. María searches for her lost son, leaving Tita with Luis Fernando daily. Meanwhile, Lupe hires her deceitful goddaughter Penélope to care for Tita. Penélope falls in love with Luis Fernando, and they become lovers. María discovers the affair, fires Penélope, and files for divorce. Luis Fernando apologizes, and María forgives him.
Fifteen years later, Fernando (Nando), now a lottery vendor, tries to steal money from María's house to buy medicine for his mother, Agripina, who is hospitalized. He is caught by María and Luis Fernando. Despite Nando's explanation, Luis Fernando takes him to the police. María convinces her husband to let Nando go. Later, María visits the hospital, recognizes Agripina, and learns she doesn't remember her. Concerned for Nando, María offers him a job at her house.
María supports her son Nando while hiding the truth about their relationship. Tita, now fifteen, mistakenly believes Nando is her mother's lover and tries to expose them. Penélope and her husband, José María "Papacito," who live in the same apartment as Nando, blackmail María by threatening to reveal Tita's adoption and the false affair unless they are paid. Finally, tired of Tita's misconceptions, María reveals to her that Nando is her lost son.
After María reveals to Nando that he is her son, he moves in with the De la Vega family. Luis Fernando, unaware of Nando's true identity, believes María brought her lover into their home and attempts to kill him. As he fires his gun, María screams that Nando is their son, leading to a reconciliation with her husband and reuniting Nando with his father. Penélope and José María are subsequently arrested for their crimes.
Soraya recovers from her accident and lives in Houston, Texas. She marries billionaire Oscar Montalbán, murders him, and inherits his wealth while caring for his disabled daughter, Alicia. Soraya returns to Mexico seeking revenge on María and the De la Vega family. She initially shows remorse to gain their trust, then seduces Nando, negatively influencing him and turning him against his parents.
Nando starts visiting Soraya's mansion, just to get drunk, and eventually meets Alicia and her governess Esperanza, who advise him to stop coming and go home. María suspects Soraya is using Nando. Nando catches Soraya kissing a man named Aldo and leaves her. Soraya becomes depressed, realizing her former lover is now in love with Alicia, and forbids Alicia from seeing him.
Soraya arranges a party to reconcile with Nando. During the party, she has a psychotic episode, beats Alicia, hits Esperanza against the wall, and cuts Nando with scissors. Alicia is saved by Aldo, and Nando is hospitalized. María reports Soraya, but she pretends to be innocent. Seeking revenge, Soraya encounters her mother, Calixta, who is now a poor beggar. When Calixta tries to approach her, Soraya pushes her, causing Calixta to hit her head and die.
Nando is initially accused of the crime, but María takes the blame and is imprisoned in a women's jail, where she meets Penélope. While in prison, María is humiliated and assaulted by inmates and a guard named Rosenda. After Rosenda is fired for assaulting another inmate, a fire breaks out in the prison. María saves Penélope but disappears in the flames and is presumed dead. Penélope, grateful for María's help, decides to change her life after being released. Days later, Dr. Daniel Ordóñez finds María wandering the streets with no memory and takes her in, where she becomes a nanny for his two children.
Cecilia, in love with Daniel, confronts María. When Daniel discovers Cecilia was poisoning his daughter to frame María, he throws Cecilia out of the house. After María has worked for weeks in Daniel's home, the prison director informs him that María is alive and possibly suffering from memory loss.
Nando and his father eagerly search for María in the streets but are interrupted when Agripina has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital, where they reunite with María. Meanwhile, Soraya, wanted for the murders of Oscar Montalbán and Dr. Mejia, flees from the police. She encounters María and devises a plan to kill her. Disguised as a nurse, Soraya claims to be a friend of the De la Vega family and tells María that Tita is ill, luring her to her cabin. Esperanza and Alicia observe this and contact the De la Vega family.
Agripina survives her heart attack. In the cabin, Soraya pushes María against a fireplace wall during a fight. When María awakens, she remembers everything, and a tearful Soraya confesses her crimes, going completely insane. With a pistol in hand, Soraya throws petrol around the cabin. Meanwhile, Soraya's maid reveals her location, and Luis Fernando and the police head to the cabin. Soraya, preferring death over returning to jail, throws a lit match on the ground, setting the cabin on fire.
Luis Fernando saves María from the burning cabin, and although María attempts to save Soraya, she is trapped in the flames and burns to death. Two months later, Luis Fernando and María celebrate a new, happy life with their children. Gracia, María's friend from prison, now works as a nanny to Daniel's children. Urbano and Fellipa get together, and Agripina marries Veracruz. Nando dates Alicia, who undergoes surgery and is able to walk, and Tita dates Aldo. María reveals she is pregnant again.

## Cast

| Actor | Character | Description |
| Thalía | María Hernández Rojas De de la Vega "María la del barrio" | Main female protagonist, goddaughter of Casilda, adoptive niece of Don Fernando, biological mother of Nandito, adoptive mother of Tita, in love with Luis Fernando, Luis Fernando's wife |
| Fernando Colunga | Luis Fernando de la Vega Montenegro | Main male protagonist, son of Don Fernando and Victoria, Vladimir and Vanessa's brother, ex-husband of Soraya, biological father of Nandito, adoptive father of Tita, in love with María, María's husband |
| Itatí Cantoral | Soraya Montenegro de la Vega / Soraya Montenegro Vda. de Montalbán | Victoria's niece, ex-wife of Luis Fernando, Oscar's widow, stepmother of Alicia, in love with Luis Fernando and biological daughter of Calixta |
| Irán Eory | Victoria Montenegro de la Vega | Mother of Luis Fernando, Vladimir and Vanessa, Soraya's aunt, mother-in-law of María, grandmother of Nandito, adoptive grandmother of Tita |
| Ricardo Blume | Don Fernando De la Vega | Husband of Victoria, father of Luis Fernando, Vladimir and Vanessa, adoptive uncle and father-in-law of María, grandfather of Nandito, adoptive grandfather of Tita |
| Héctor Soberón | Vladimir de la Vega Montenegro | Son of Don Fernando and Victoria, brother of Luis Fernando and Vanessa, also liked María |
| Meche Barba | Guadalupe "Lupe" | Housemaid of the De la Vega's, loves María like a daughter, godmother of Penélope |
| Silvia Caos | Calixta Popoca | Soraya's nanny and biological mother, deals with black magic |
| Aurora Molina | Casilda Pérez | María's godmother |
| Pituka de Foronda | Carolina Monroy "Seño Caro" | María's etiquette teacher |
| Tito Guízar | Father Honorio | Friend of Casilda |
| Montserrat Gallosa | Vanessa de la Vega Montenegro | Daughter of Don Fernando and Victoria, sister of Luis Fernando and Vladimir, in love with Pedro, Pedro's wife |
| Sebastián Garza | Pedro | Son of Rufina, friend of María, in love with Vanessa, Vanessa's husband |
| Rebeca Manríquez | Carlota | Servant of the De la Vega's |
| Beatriz Moreno | Felipa | Cook of the De la Vega's, in love with Urbano |
| Raúl Padilla "Chóforo" | Urbano González | Servant of the De la Vega's, in love with Fellipa |
| Alejandra Procuna | Brenda Ramos del Real | Luis Fernando's ex-girlfriend |
| Yadira Santana | Rufina | Mother of Pedro, friend of María |
| Carmen Salinas | Agripina Pérez | Neighbor and friend of Antonia, Veracruz and Caridad, adoptive mother of Nandito, married Veracruz |
| Juan Antonio Edwards | Dr. Rodrigo Suárez | Doctor of the De la Vega family |
| Jorge Cáceres | Osvaldo Treviño | Soraya's lover |
| Ana Patricia Rojo | Penélope Linares de Cano | Lupe's goddaughter, Tita's nanny, in love with Luis Fernando, Jose Maria's wife |
| René Muñoz | Veracruz | Neighbor and friend of Agripina, Antonia and Caridad, godfather of Nandito, married Agripina |
| Emilia Carranza | Raymunda del Castillo de Robles | Veronica's mother, Tita's biological grandmother |
| Ludwika Paleta | María de los Ángeles de la Vega Hernández "Tita" | Adoptive daughter of Luis Fernando and María, biological daughter of Clemente and Veronica, adoptive sister of Nandito, adoptive granddaughter of Don Fernando and Victoria, in love with Aldo |
| Osvaldo Benavides | Fernando Pérez / Fernando de la Vega Hernández "Nando / Nandito" | Lost son of María and Luis Fernando, adoptive son of Agripina, grandson of Don Fernando and Victoria, godson of Veracruz, adoptive brother of Tita, in love with Alicia |
| Antonio Medellín | Dr. Carreras | Director of the psychiatric clinic |
| Lilia Michel | Sor Matilde | Director of the orphanage |
| Roberto Blandón | José María Cano "Papacito" | Penélope's husband |
| Jessica Jurado | Verónica Robles del Castillo de Barrena | Biological mother of "Tita", Raymunda's daughter, in love with Clemente, Clemente's wife |
| Ninón Sevilla | Caridad | Neighbour and friend of Agripina, Antonia and Veracruz |
| Claudia Ortega | Antonia | Neighbor and friend of Agripina, Caridad and Veracruz, godmother of Nandito |
| Manuel Saval | Oscar Montalbán | Father of Alicia, in love with Soraya, Soraya's husband |
| Ariadne Welter | Esperanza Calderón | Alicia's nanny |
| Yuliana Peniche | Alicia Montalbán Smith | Oscar's disabled daughter, stepdaughter of Soraya, in love with Nandito |
| Sebastián Ligarde | Lic. Gonzalo Dorantes | Old friend of Luis Fernando and Soraya, he helps Soraya with her plan for break-up Luis Fernando and Maria, in love with María |
| Daniel Gaurvy | Clemente Barrena | Biological father of Tita, in love with Veronica, Veronica's husband |
| Irlanda Mora | Grindelia Campusano "La Leona" | Prisoner and friend of Penélope |
| Patricia Martínez | Romelia Aguado | Prisoner and friend of Penélope |
| Rocío Sobrado | Gracia Valdez | Friend of Maria, become a nanny of Daniel's children |
| Evangelina Martínez | Berta | Prisoner and friend of Penélope |
| Beatriz Monroy | Tisica | Prisoner and friend of Penélope |
| Mauricio Aspe | Aldo Armenteros | Son of Abelardo, ex-lover of Soraya, in love with Tita |
| María Prado | Rosenda | Prison officer, hates María |

### Extended cast

| Actor | Character | Description |
| Enrique Lizalde | Abelardo Armenteros | Lawyer of Soraya, father of Aldo |
| Eric del Castillo | Juez | The judge who presides over Soraya's assault trial |
| Arturo Muñoz | Dr. Ricardo Mejia | Soraya's accomplice who helped fake her death |
| Ariel López Padilla | Dr. Daniel Ordóñez | Perlita's and Carlito's father, saved María when she suffered from amnesia, in love with her |
| Frances Ondiviela | Cecilia | In love with Daniel |
| Esteban Moldovan | Carlitos Ordoñez | Son of Daniel, brother of Perlita |
| Natasha Dupeyrón | Perlita Ordóñez | Daughter of Daniel, sister of Carlitos |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 1996 | 14th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Antagonist Actress | Itatí Cantoral | Won |
| 1996 | 14th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Leading Actress | Irán Eory | Nominated |
| 1996 | 14th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Carmen Salinas | Nominated |
| 1996 | 14th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Young Lead Actress | Ludwika Paleta | Won |
| 1996 | 14th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Young Lead Actor | Osvaldo Benavides | Won |
| 1996 | 14th TVyNovelas Awards | Telenovela with the Highest Rating | Angelli Nesma Medina | Won |

## Remake

In 2011 ABS-CBN announced that Televisa had given them the permit to do a Philippine version of the series. The Philippine remake stars Erich Gonzales as the titular character with Enchong Dee as her leading man. Alicia and Nandito were not included in the Philippine remake.