María la del barrio

From rags-to-riches, to an obsessed psycho, to having a papparazzi of a housekeeper and neighbor, to losing a son, to finding the lost son, to love affairs, love potions, extortions, murderous schemes, surviving a burning building unharmed, having amnesia, chasing people at the terminal and train station, to having a douchebag of a lover, to abused the disabled, to solid slaps, to child abuse, to inces, to other men salivating on the main character to happy ever after. You name it, they have it,lol. It's overly dramatic, ridiculous at times and cheezy, but it will surely get you hooked😅

In 1995, Thalía plays a leading role in "María la del Barrio", the third soap opera of the "María" trilogy. Soap stars Fernando Colunga and Itati Contoral, amongst others, were part of the superb cast. In the last María "telenovela", Thalia portrays María la del Barrio, a scavenger who is adopted by a rich businessman, and falls in love with Luis Fernando (Colunga), an arrogant, rich man. María married Luis Fernando, had a baby with him, but gave the baby away during a temporary bout of insanity. In this tragic-comedy she portrayed a happy, genuine and full of life young girl, who later turned into a suffering woman grieving for her lost child. It does have a happy ending, though!!! The soap opera, without a doubt, touched young and adult audiences around the world due to its innocent, entertaining and enchanting storyline. After the "María" trilogy of soap operas circled the globe, a census showed that they have been viewed by more than a billion people around the World!

Totally amazing soap opera. I'm so nostalgic, they don't do this kind of soap operas anymore. Great actors, Thalia, Fernando Colunga, Itati and Ludwika, I mean.. what's not to love about this soap opera? Maria is taken from basically the trash can and was transform to a respectful lady by an old wealthy man (Don Fernando De la Vega). His family doesn't really like the idea and make her life a total hell. His son (Luis Fernando) starts playing with her but then he fells in love with Maria. Too late cause she gave away his son and becomes crazy. After she's fully recover she wonders around looking for his lost son but it was quite an odyssey (not to mention that her daughter Tita, thought Maria was having an affair with this guy she was looking for....... her son).

Ah of course don't forget Soraya Montenegro the antagonist who was in love with Fernando and tried to kill Maria so she could stay with Fernando and his fortune.

There's no doubt as to why this telenovela is as iconic as it is. It's probably because of Itatí Cantoral, who served the over-the-top drama that Mexican telenovelas came to be known for, and she did it in the most entertaining way possible. Thalía is not the best actress but the plot makes you forgive her mediocre acting chops. It feels a bit boring and clichéd in the beginning, but it can (and will) get crazy in ways that the viewer would not necessarily expect. The story is overcomplicated but in an exciting way, though it lacked some depth to it to each of its arcs - most of what we see is just face value. I do wish that the telenovela had cared about the rest of the characters, because it did end up being more of a María biopic as if everyone was aware that she was the main character. The time jumps are ridiculous but once again forgivable, with already old people not decaying a bit after 15 years and the only difference being María's hairstyle and Fernando's mustache.

For a good primer to Mexican telenovelas (soap operas) for North Americans, look no further than "María la del Barrio" (literal translation: Maria from the Ghetto). Don't let the language barrier stop you--it'll be obvious what's going on.

Starring Mexican entertainment sensation, Thalía, "María..." recounts the life of a poor 12-yr old girl from the barrio who grows up, makes it good, marries well, and lives a life of luxury. Remember though: you can take the girl out of the barrio, but you can't take the barrio out of the girl!

Yes, it's extremely corny and bad...but in the good sense! What makes this telenovela especially watchable is how the producers insist on having 20-something Thalía play "María..." at all ages! To show her as a young girl they slap a Jughead-style hat on her head and have her play w/dolls. Unbelievable!

Thalía is incredibly beautiful and quite talented--she even belts out the extremely catchy themesong to "María la del Barrio." This show is the third in the unrelated "María" telenovela trilogy, preceded by "María Mercedes," and "Marímar." Catch it on reruns on Univsion!