Maria Cuchara de plata

**Maria Elise Cuchara De Plata** is an character in *Cailaca and Machete*. She is the most popular girl in Santa Ynez and great-great granddaughter of supposed town founder Nathaniel Cuchara, who for her entire life was brought up to use her family's high status to treat others poorly.Once a major rival of Cailaca Cortez, recent interactions with her former foe and common people have compelled her to abandon her family's conceited attitude and long, hidden history of crime, treachery, and cover-ups.

## Biography

In "Slumber Party Club," Maria and her family arrive at the fashion club just as Machete is allergic to dresses. They proceed to face off with the Bender family and Machete, with Maria giving a different insulting nickname to each one. Machete makes a retort about how she's doing. Maria happily replies that it has all worked out, stating that her family's wealth "makes problems go away." Soon after, Cailaca publicly insults Maria and challenges her to a rematch.After discovering the ghosts of slumber party guests, Cailaca has them sabotage Maria's game for her. However, one group decides to kill Maria instead, requiring Cailaca to save her. After they get away from the ghosts, Maria grudgingly accepts both Cailaca's apology and an offer of a ride home. It is shown in the episode that she does not live a normal life. She receives a lot of pressure from her parents to be the best at everything, does not know how to react to common behavior (like eating in the car or sharing), and lives in a mansion with fountains and peacocks. She also does not receive much moral support from her parents as they often put important parties and business matters before her. In the episode, "Children of the Angelitos," as the Cuchara de platas have a practice dinner for their annual party taking place the following day, various objects around the manor start floating and attacking Maria and her parents. She is then told by her father to perform the ritual to get rid of the problem. Dressing up in an attire so she isn't recognized at the household, she does as told, and approaches Machete,but Cailaca learns that Maria has an encounter with an baby angelito.However her family told her it was a myth or Azucar even call it a stupid myth.

## Apperance

Maria has shoulder length brown hair, wears a white shirt and green skirt, black
butterscotch shoes, and has a green hair-clip. She is
usually seen with a purple backpack similar to the one Cailaca own, which holds her personal possessions.During the Fashion Club, Maria wears a green t-shirt, a white skirt, a white hairclip, a green wristband on her left arm, pink socks, pearl earrings, and white shoes. At her fancy party, she began off wearing a simple, "lake foam green" dress and has notable waves in her hair. This dress also has a green bow around the waist, with matching green gloves, a matching choker, and the pearl earrings from her fashion outfit. She later wears a purple dress with black shoulder sleeves (and a similar black rim at the bottom of the gown), an oval purple neck-piece, and earrings sporting two pearls per ear. She wears lighter purple-pinkish high heel shoes.

## Personality

Maria is a sarcastic and short-tempered girl that enjoys talking and hanging out with Cailaca and Machete,
but is generally socially awkward and has a hard time opening up to
other girls. Despite this, she is quite open to those she gets to know
and has a fun time hanging out with them. She also appears to be
incredibly loveable, as she comes from a wealthy yet abusive family, despite being around 14 to
16 years old.Her interests include cheerleading, music, and fashion. She can be a bit of a bully, and she’s come to believe that hanging out with common folk would ruin her reputation yet can be nice at times. In "Slumber Party Club" she was shown with teenage twin shallow,yet dumb older sisters.It is then revealed in "Children of the Angelitos" that Maria acts the way she does because her parents keep her in line with their tight standards on what being a Silver Spoon entails, and also with Pavlovian behavioral conditioning, possibly combined with abuse of some sort. She also makes a breakthrough by setting herself aside from the other Silver Spoons, displaying altruistic traits when her parents tried to dissuade her otherwise. She also has a complete change of heart towards everyone and becomes a friend to the common folk of the town and the Bender family, she at the end of the episode is seen enjoying taking photos with Cailaca and Machete.

## Relationships

### Cailaca Cortez

It's noted that Maria's girly demeanour is arranged to be a complete contrast to Cailaca's tomboyish nature.Despite not liking Maria, Cailaca generally tries taking the high road and ignoring Maria's insults. They seem to come to a mutual understanding in "Slumber Party Club" after Cailaca and Maria work together to beat the ghosts of slumber party guests, and Cailaca shares her taco with her.

### Machete Bender

They possess a mutual dislike for each other mainly due to Maria's early mistreatment of Cailaca as well as her snobby personality and wealthy lifestyle. Despite Cailaca and Maria overcoming their differences in "Slumber Party Club," Machete remained reluctant to accept her, often reminding others that she's "the worst." It would not be until "Children of the Angelitos," when she enlists Machete's help to get rid of a ghost in her home, that they began to be somewhat amiable (she even looks genuinely happy when she thinks no one calls them crazy).Though this new found acceptance had been strained due to the collective family lying to him into exorcising the ghost instead of keeping an age old promise, he later apologizes to Maria when he sees that she's remorseful for lying and is ashamed of her family and herself, and assures her that she doesn't have to be like her parents. After the incident, they are seen enjoying each other's company.

## Trivia

* She is shown in the opening while Machete hands her a book on a shelf that she cannot reach at the library.
* Maria is voiced by Jessica DiCicco.
* Coincidentally, Maria bears a strong resemblance to her voice actress.
* Her last name "Cuchara de plata" is a common Mexican surname which sometimes means "silver spoon," a possible reference to how she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.