Soraya Montenegro (María la del Barrio)

Soraya Montenegro is a fictional character in the Mexican telenovela María la del Barrio. Soraya serves as a prominent antagonist and is characterized by violence, jealousy and emotional instability. She was portrayed by Itatí Cantoral in the original Mexican series and became one of the most recognizable villains in telenovelas as a consequence of the popularity of María la del Barrio worldwide. Her popularity reached a new peak with the rise of social media where her performances are enjoyed for being overly dramatic.
== Concept and creation ==
Soraya Montenegro was conceived by Mexican producer Valentin Pimstein as the antagonist of the first story arc of María la del Barrio, a remake of 1979 telenovela Los ricos también lloran. Soraya is loosely based on Esther Izaguirre, one of the villains of the old telenovela, but with considerable changes to her background, origin and mental state. Pimstein originally intended Soraya to die at the end of the first story arc. Nevertheless, he brought her back stating that Thalia needed a strong counterpart that could test her role as the heroine of the story.
== Character biography ==
Soraya Montenegro is the wealthy and evil niece of Victoria Montenegro de la Vega. She likes Luis Fernando and intends to get married with him, but he falls in love with María instead. However, she manages to marry Luis Fernando by faking a pregnancy, and escapes when it is revealed that she was not pregnant after all and also tried to poison Maria. She attempts to kill her accomplice before he turns her in, but falls from the apartment and is presumed dead.
During her absence, María and Luis Fernando get married. María gives away her newborn son, Fernando, while suffering a mental disorder. She reunited with him, now nicknamed "Nandito", fourteen years later. It is revealed that Soraya had not died, and was taken to the United States for a long recovery. She gets married with Oscar Montalban, and arranges a car accident to inherit his money. However, she must remain the stepmother of Oscar's daughter, the disabled Alicia, and keep her nanny Esperanza. She moves back to Mexico to resume her vengeance plots against María and Luis Fernando, but falls in love with Nandito. Infuriated when Nandito falls in love with Alicia instead, she attacks him and Esperanza, leaving him near death and causing her amnesia. She kills her mother Calixta and frames Nandito, but María takes the guilt and goes to prison. María is eventually declared innocent, but Soraya captures her and takes her to a wood cabin, with the intention to burn it down with María inside. María is rescued by Luis Fernando, but Soraya dies instead in the fire.
== Remakes and reception ==
Soraya Montenegro is remembered as an archetypical example of a telenovela villain, famous for her overactings and overreactions. She stayed popular in the 2000s as many of her scenes became internet memes, even among teenagers that never watched that soap opera. One of the most famous scenes is when she discovered Nandito kissing Alicia, and started to attack everyone.
Itatí Cantoral played Soraya again in 2016, in a commercial for the fourth season of the Orange Is the New Black series. She appears as an inmate of the prison, mistreating the other inmates. The character was modified to fit the tone of the series, and became a convicted murderer. It was rumored that Cantoral would appear in commercials for further series in Netflix, but she denied those rumors.
Actress Daniela Luján played Soraya in a recreation of the scene where she attacks Nandito, Alicia and Esperanza, at the TV program Verdad o reto. Itatí Cantoral was present in the audience, and praised Luján's work.
==Gallery==
16_6_MLDB_1335.jpg
maria-la-del-barrio-620877l.jpg
tapa_soraya_metro951-635x326.jpg
7NeU.gif
7NeZ.gif
giphy-1soraya.gif
84fe0feb12ef9552620903f5e48ac470.jpg
d823ff4b99f2396b7296064dd9fe6920.jpg
best-soraya-montenegro-vines.jpg
hqdefaultsoraya.jpg
1516133386_4dbdfb_s5_sm.jpeg
soraya_montenegro_portada.jpg
bYj35c.gif
giphysoraya.gif
maxresdefaultsoraya.jpg
hqdefault-1soraya.jpg
Category:1990s
Category:A Taste Of Her Own Medicine
Category:Accidental Demise
Category:Beauty Mark
Category:Beehive Hairstyle
Category:Black Widow
Category:Brunette
Category:Bully
Category:Catfight
Category:Domestic Abuser
Category:Evil Laugh
Category:Family Murderer
Category:Femme Fatale
Category:Hero's Lover
Category:High Heels
Category:Jealous
Category:Kidnapper
Category:Knee Length Skirts & Dresses
Category:Live Action Villainess
Category:Long Skirts & Dresses
Category:Low Cut Top
Category:Murderer
Category:Pistol
Category:Rich
Category:Serial Killer
Category:Snob
Category:Sociopath
Category:Spoiled
Category:Stepmother
Category:Stockings or Nylons
Category:Sunglasses
Category:Vain
Category:Demise: Burned Alive
Category:Fate: Deceased
Category:Business Villainess
Category:Arson