La India María
Encyclopedia
"La India María" is a fictional character
portrayed and created by actress María Elena Velasco
. The character usually endures situations of racial discrimination
, segregation
, and corruption
, although in all of these turmoils, María undoubtedly resolves them with hilarious acts of good-nature and moral. She has represented the poor indigenous, the migrant worker, and even free-spirited nuns for over 30 years. She has been the lead character in 16 films and in a spin-off television series entitled, Ay María Qué Puntería
. Most recently, the character has appeared in cameo appearances in the television programs Mujer, casos de la vida real
and La familia P. Luche.
ethnic background, due to her coloful, fokloric clothing. In her first film, she mentions that her hometown is "San José de los Burros". However, later this varies. Her hometown is changed to "Chipitongo el Alto", for which she serves a term as municipal president in La presidenta municipal
(1975). In El que no corre... vuela! (1981), she mentions her hometown as "San Pablo Cuatro Venados".
, in Mexico City
. Her name is Doña Júlia Escandón de León, Condesa del Valle. But María is robbed right when she gets off her train. With nowhere to go, María sells oranges with other women at a public park (which was illegal). A group of police officers arrest them, but fortunately
María Nicolasa refuges herself in Doña Júlia's limousine.
at the request of an American refugee whom she quickly falls in love and names "Mr. Pancho". Second in Ni de aqui ni de alla, she travels to Los Angeles, California
contracted to work as a housemaid for two American tourists, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. However, she is distracted and goes into a bathroom at the airport in L. A., and witnesses a murder. The murderer persecutes her all over the city until she finds work in a Mexican restaurant.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
portrayed and created by actress María Elena Velasco
María Elena Velasco
María Elena Velasco is a Mexican actress, film director, award-winning screenwriter, producer, and singer. She is also one of Mexico's few major female film directors...
. The character usually endures situations of racial discrimination
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
, and corruption
Corruption
Corruption usually refers to spiritual or moral impurity.Corruption may also refer to:* Corruption , an American crime film* Corruption , a British horror film...
, although in all of these turmoils, María undoubtedly resolves them with hilarious acts of good-nature and moral. She has represented the poor indigenous, the migrant worker, and even free-spirited nuns for over 30 years. She has been the lead character in 16 films and in a spin-off television series entitled, Ay María Qué Puntería
Ay maria que punteria
Ay María qué puntería! is a Mexican sitcom, from Televisa. It centers on the adventures of an indigenous Mexican woman named La India María, who works as a maid in Mexico City....
. Most recently, the character has appeared in cameo appearances in the television programs Mujer, casos de la vida real
Mujer, casos de la vida real
Mujer, casos de la vida real is a television show produced by Hispanic television Televisa for Canal de las Estrellas. The show first aired after the Mexican earthquake of 1985 as a method to assist victims of the natural disaster...
and La familia P. Luche.
Fictional character background
Although La India María's origin is never revealed in her films, it is most probable that she is of MazahuaMazahua
The Mazahua are an indigenous people of Mexico, inhabiting the northwestern portion of the State of Mexico and northeastern area of Michoacán, with a presence also in the Federal District owing to recent migration...
ethnic background, due to her coloful, fokloric clothing. In her first film, she mentions that her hometown is "San José de los Burros". However, later this varies. Her hometown is changed to "Chipitongo el Alto", for which she serves a term as municipal president in La presidenta municipal
La presidenta municipal
La presidenta municipal is a 1975 Mexican comedy film directed by Fernando Cortés and starring María Elena Velasco, Adalberto Martínez "Resortes", and Pancho Córdova.-Synopsis:...
(1975). In El que no corre... vuela! (1981), she mentions her hometown as "San Pablo Cuatro Venados".
Commute to Mexico City
Since La India María's rural hometown does not have much job opportunities, her cousin Eufemia invites her to work for a sophisticated aristocratic woman who is the countess of the Valley of MexicoValley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
, in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Her name is Doña Júlia Escandón de León, Condesa del Valle. But María is robbed right when she gets off her train. With nowhere to go, María sells oranges with other women at a public park (which was illegal). A group of police officers arrest them, but fortunately
María Nicolasa refuges herself in Doña Júlia's limousine.
Migration to the United States
María was hired several times to work in the United States. First in OK Mister Pancho, where she crosses the border to Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
at the request of an American refugee whom she quickly falls in love and names "Mr. Pancho". Second in Ni de aqui ni de alla, she travels to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
contracted to work as a housemaid for two American tourists, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. However, she is distracted and goes into a bathroom at the airport in L. A., and witnesses a murder. The murderer persecutes her all over the city until she finds work in a Mexican restaurant.
Cameo appearances
- In Mujer, casos de la vida realMujer, casos de la vida realMujer, casos de la vida real is a television show produced by Hispanic television Televisa for Canal de las Estrellas. The show first aired after the Mexican earthquake of 1985 as a method to assist victims of the natural disaster...
, an episode entitled Amor incondiciónal, she portrays a discriminated maid and nanny. - In La familia P. Luche, she appears in an episode as the housemaid of "Exelsa".