# María la del Barrio (1995)

> A brave poor girl is taken into a wealthy family and falls for their misogynist youngest son while a jealous rival schemes to tear them apart.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12096

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 185
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance
- Created by: Inés Rodena
- Network: Las Estrellas
- Cast: Thalia, Fernando Colunga, Itatí Cantoral, Ana Patricia Rojo, Irán Eory, Ricardo Blume, Héctor Soberón, Montserrat Gallosa
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163464/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: nostalgic, melodramatic, earnest, romantic, dramatic

## What critics say

Audiences rate the telenovela positively, valuing its romance and emotional melodrama.

## Synopsis

María la del Barrio (1995-1996) is a Mexican telenovela created by Inés Rodena for Las Estrellas and produced by Televisa. Thalia plays Maria, a brave, poor young girl who is welcomed into a wealthy household and develops a romance with its misogynist youngest son, Luis Fernando de la Vega, played by Fernando Colunga. Their love is the engine of the story, and every obstacle is built from class prejudice and family pressure. Itatí Cantoral plays Soraya Montenegro, a woman already in love with Luis Fernando who goes to great lengths to destroy the relationship, so the drama turns on scheming, reversals and confrontations within a single family. The story unfolds across 185 episodes in a single continuous arc, the classic long-form soap structure built for daily viewing. Set in contemporary Mexico, it is a melodrama rooted in the Televisa tradition, with heightened emotion, sharp villainy and sentimental romance at its core. Its tone is nostalgic, earnest and dramatic, with an atmosphere of wealthy estates and simmering rivalry. Fans of Betty la fea, Rosalinda and other Latin American soap operas will find the same blend of class-crossing romance and rival sabotage here.

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