''Esmeralda'' is a Mexican

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

produced by

Salvador Mejía Alejandre Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

for

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

in 1997. It is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of a famous 1970

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n telenovela of that same name Esmeralda original story by

Delia Fiallo Delia Fiallo (4 July 1924 – 29 June 2021) was a Cuban author and screenwriter who lived in Miami, Florida. She was one of the most distinguished representatives of the contemporary romance novel, dabbling in various genres which appeared in he ...

. On Monday, May 5, 1997, Canal de las Estrellas started broadcasting ''Esmeralda'' weekdays at 8:00pm, replacing ''Mujer, casos de la vida real''. The last episode was broadcast on Friday, November 14, 1997 with ''Desencuentro'' replacing it the following Monday. It was the first collaboration between Colunga and Gamboa, who both later work in '' La usurpadora'' (1998).

Leticia Calderón Leticia Calderón (; born Carmen Leticia Calderón León on July 15, 1968) is a Mexican actress.

and

Fernando Colunga Fernando Colunga Olivares () (born 3 March 1966) is a Mexican actor best known for his work in Mexican telenovelas. Colunga gained international fame for playing Luis Fernando de la Vega in the Mexican soap opera ''Maria la del Barrio''. He is ...

starred as protagonists, while

Laura Zapata Laura Guadalupe Zapata Miranda ( born July 31, 1956) is a Mexican support telenovela actress, singer, and dancer. She has acted in Televisa productions. Family Born in Mexico City, Zapata is the daughter of Guillermo Zapata Pérez de Utrera (a ...

Salvador Pineda Salvador Pineda Popoca (born June 16, 1952 in Huetamo, Michoacan, Mexico) is a Mexican actor, who has participated in over 20 Mexican telenovelas and Mexican movies, as well as two Hollywood low budget movies. Born to Mexican politician Salvado ...

Ana Patricia Rojo Ana Patricia Rojo Stein (born February 13, 1974) is a Mexican actress and singer. She is famous for her participation in many telenovelas of Televisa, like '' María la del barrio'' as Penelope Linares (1995), '' Esmeralda'' as Georgina Pérez- ...

and the leading actor

Enrique Lizalde Enrique Lizalde Chávez (January 9, 1937 – June 3, 2013) was a Mexican film, television and theater actor whose career spanned from the 1960s to the 2000s. He appeared in dozens of films and television shows, including telenovelas, throughout h ...

starred as antagonists. Alejandro Ruiz,

Nora Salinas Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian Places Australia * Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...

and the leading actor

Ignacio López Tarso Ignacio López López (born 15 January 1925), known professionally as Ignacio López Tarso, is a Mexican actor of stage, film and television. He has acted in about 50 films and appeared in documentaries and in one short feature. In 1973 he was g ...

starred as stellar performances. In 1998 it was named "The Best Telenovela of the Year" by

Premios TVyNovelas The Premios TVyNovelas are presented annually by Televisa and the magazine TVyNovelas to honor the best Mexican television productions, including telenovelas. Instituted in 1983, the award ceremony rotates between Mexico City and Acapulco. The c ...

Plot

Rodolfo Peñareal is obsessed with having a male child. After many miscarriages, his wife Blanca is

pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...

again. One night, a girl is born, but they believe that she was born dead. In the same town, in another, more humble house, a boy is born, but his mother dies during labor. The

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

and Crisanta, the nanny of Blanca, with their best intention and with the aim to calm down Rodolfo, decide to exchange the children. While Blanca is unconscious, Crisanta gives a pair of

emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

earrings An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations an ...

to the midwife, forcing her to forget what happened on that night. Once the exchange is done, the midwife Dominga, discovers that the girl is not dead, but now it is too late to right the wrong. In this way, the boy that was born in a miserable hut sees his first light in the opulence of a big house, while the sweet little girl who was entitled to a golden crib, gives her first steps among ramshackle walls and misery. Esmeralda, the Peñareal's baby girl, was born blind, but the

kindness Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, rendering assistant or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. Kindness is a topic of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology. Kin ...

of her heart provides her the light to be happy and the illusion to believe that someday she will meet love. Her eyes are the "eyes of love". Time passes and the

destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

of both of the children, Esmeralda and José Armando, comes across as they instantly fall in love. However, the obsession, the wish, the family interests, the false love of a woman and the Peñareal's pride to make their lineage prevail, destroy any noble feeling. Esmeralda and José Armando are the victims in this sea of

resentment Resentment (also called ranklement or bitterness) is a complex, multilayered emotion that has been described as a mixture of disappointment, disgust and anger. Other psychologists consider it a mood or as a secondary emotion (including cogniti ...

that, little by little, submerges them into the darkness of indifference.

Cast

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Esmeralda (Telenovela) 1997 telenovelas Mexican telenovelas 1997 Mexican television series debuts 1997 Mexican television series endings Television shows set in Mexico City Televisa telenovelas Mexican television series based on Venezuelan television series Spanish-language telenovelas