''Mentir para vivir'' (English: ''Life of Lies'') 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'' ...

directed by Benjamín Cann and produced by

Rosy Ocampo Rosy Ocampo (born on November 11, 1959 in México City, D.F., México) is a Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabi ...

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 ...

that aired on

Canal de las Estrellas Las Estrellas ("The Stars"; previously El Canal de las Estrellas, or "The Channel of the Stars") is one of the cornerstone networks of TelevisaUnivision, with affiliate stations all over Mexico, flagshipped at XEW-TDT in Mexico City. Many of the ...

from Monday, June 3, 2013 to Sunday, October 20, 2013. The telenovela is written by Maria Zarattini, who last wrote ''

La Fuerza del Destino ''La Fuerza del Destino'' is Fey's fifth studio album, released in December 2004. The album contains twelve tracks the popular Spanish band Mecano made famous in the 80s and early 90s. The album's first single ''La Fuerza del Destino'' became t ...

'' (2011).

Mayrín Villanueva Mayrín Villanueva Ulloa (born 8 October 1970) is a Mexican actress and model. Villanueva has also posed for multiple magazines. She was considered for the role of Julia Montaño in the 2004 telenovela ''Apuesta por un Amor''; the role was eve ...

and

David Zepeda David Zepeda (born as David Anastasio Zepeda Quintero on September 19, 1973) is a Mexican actor, model and singer. He is known thanks for participating in soap operas such as '' Acorralada'', '' Abismo de pasión'' and ''Por amar sin ley''. In 2 ...

star as the protagonists, while

Altair Jarabo Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinised from α Aquilae and abbreviated Alpha Aql or ...

Leticia Perdigón Leticia Perdigón (; born Guadalupe Leticia Perdigón Labrador on August 7, 1956, in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North Amer ...

, and

Diego Olivera Diego Olivera, (born on February 7, 1968, in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentinian actor. Biography He began his career at the age of 12, in Teatro San Martín Work "Street Scene". Studying Theatre was formed with Alejandra Boero, Carlos ...

star as the main antagonists. In the United States the telenovela aired on

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

from Monday, October 7, 2013 to Friday, February 28, 2014.

Plot

Oriana Caligaris (

) and José Luis Falcón (

) are a Mexican couple who lives in Colombia with their six years old daughter, Alina (Ana Paula Martinez). José Luis works in Colombian customs. One day, he confesses to Oriana about his involvement in a smuggling operation, and that the earnings are deposited into an account opened in Oriana's name but without her consent. For this, Jose told Oriana that the police is searching for them. Disappointed and out of fear, Oriana escapes to Mexico with her daughter Alina, to find her dear friend, Raquel ltair Jarabo who along with Lucina (

Cecilia Gabriela Cecilia Gabriela Vera Sandoval ( born January 9, 1962) is a Mexican actress known best for her work in telenovelas. She was born in Mexico City. Filmography Awards and nominations Premios TVyNovelas The Premios TVyNovelas are presente ...

) own the hotel "El Descanso" in San Carlos, Sonora. Raquel decided to keep Oriana and her daughter in their hotel for the few days they would be staying. José Luis supposedly died in a chase with police. Among the hotel guests is Don Gabriel Sánchez (

Alejandro Tommasi Alejandro Tommasi (born Alejandro Casares Tommasi; August 14, 1957) is a Mexican television, stage and film actor. Personal life Tommasi is of Italian descent. Tommasi came out as gay and married his 35 years old boyfriend, Óscar Ruiz, in Sept ...

), an old friend of Lucia. Gabriel is a partner at a major spinning and weaving factory located in Hermosillo, Sonora. He is a widow that is remarried to Lila ourdes Munguia an ambitious woman that is twenty years younger than him. Lila has a brother, Berto erdinando Valencia who is a playboy. One afternoon while Don Gabriel was relaxing at the hotel, Alina saw a gun by the beach while she was playing. The gun was dropped by some drunk guys the previous day. While Alina tried to show Gabriel the gun, she accidentally shot him in the chest. Gabriel falls dead. On hearing the shot, Oriana runs and sees his daughter with a gun. Out of fear and in a bid to protect them, Raquel and Lucina send Oriana and Alina to Guaymas, Sonora. When Ricardo avid Zepedaarrives in San Carlos to collect the body of his father and initiate investigations, it was reported that the main suspect of the crime is a young woman who is accompanied by her young daughter. Few days after the shooting, Anas Valdivia aisha Wilkins a strange, depressed and lonely young woman checked into the hotel, and drowned herself. Always-clever Lucina takes the opportunity to pass on Anas' identification, thus making Oriana impersonate Anas. This is to clear Oriana of her involvement in the murder of Don Gabriel. Though this was against Oriana's will, but she accepted because she has no choice but to 'Lie to Live'. Living as Anas, Oriana worked in a cloth store, starting her life all over. She also changed Alina's name to Catalina and explained why she changed their names - so that they won't be separated. Few weeks after, Mrs. Paloma Aresti (Adriana Roel), Ricardo's godmother and a wealthy woman who is in search of her only grandchild and heir, hired a private investigator, who went by the hotel to search for Anas Valdivia. an investigator sent by who is looking for her only grandchild and heir, whom she does not know: Inés Valdivia. Again timely, Lucina, knowing what she had done with Anas' identity, led the investigator to Oriana, painting her to be the 'likely' granddaughter of the wealthy old woman. She also told the investigator that she saw a little girl with the supposed Anas. Lucina then gives the investigator Oriana' picture, telling him it's Anas. Lucina also gives a brush with a lock of Anas' hair and advised a DNA test. Eventually, Anas (Oriana) is located by Paloma, who takes her to live with her. There, Oriana meets Ricardo. Oriana then becomes a partner in Paloma's spinning and weaving factory. Gabriel's son, Ricardo avid Zepedais a successful engineer who has a and rebellious teenager Sebastián (

Alejandro Speitzer Alejandro Sánchez Speitzer (born 21 January 1995) is a Mexican actor. Career Alejandro Speitzer started his career as a child actor when he was 5 years old. His very first job was in a recurring role in the Mexican TV mini-series ''Ray of Ligh ...

). The attraction between Oriana and Ricardo is immediate without imagining that there are among them many obstacles and adversities secrets to be overcome. Circumstances further complicate when José Luis who in reality is not dead comes back to Mexico determined to get his family and fight in a game of lies and truths, in which love will triumph in the end.

Cast

Main cast

as Oriana Caligaris/Inés Valdivia *

as Ricardo Sánchez Bretón *

as José Luis Falcón *

as Raquel Ledesma

Supporting cast

Adriana Roel Adriana Roel (4 July 1934 – 4 August 2022) was a Mexican actress from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Her roles included the Mexican telenovela '' Huracán''. Filmography * '' No quiero dormir sola'' (She Doesn't Want to Sleep Alone) 2012 ...

† as Paloma Aresti de Camargo *

as Matilde Aresti de Camargo *

as Lucina González *

Nuria Bages Nuria Bages ( born Nuria Bages Romo on December 23, 1950) is a Mexican actress better known for her work in television and the stage. Active in Mexican television since the early 1980s, Bages became a household name after winning the role of Si ...

as Fidelia Bretón *

Lourdes Munguía Lourdes Munguía (born Lourdes María Guadalupe Munguía Gasque; December 12, 1960 in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is ...

as Lila Martín de Sánchez *

Ferdinando Valencia Ferdinando Martínez Valencia (born on April 15, 1982) also known as Ferdinando Valencia is a Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People * ...

as Berto Martín† *

Joaquín Cosío Joaquín Cosío Osuna (born 6 October 1962) is a Mexican actor and poet. He is best known for roles such as Rubén "Mascarita" in ''Matando Cabos'' (2004), General Medrano in ''Quantum of Solace'' (2008), Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo in '' Narco ...

as Joaquín Barragán† *

Luis Gatica Luis Gatica (born February 25, 1961) is a Mexican actor, son of the Chilean singer Lucho Gatica and the Puerto Rican actress Mapita Cortés. He is the uncle of fellow actor Alfredo Gatica. Biography Luis Gatica was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He g ...

as Samuel Barragán *

Juan Carlos Barreto Juan Carlos Barreto (born March 11, 1957, Monterrey Nuevo León, Mexico) is a Mexican actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theat ...

as Rubén Camargo *

Fabián Robles Fabián Robles (born April 16, 1974 in León de los Aldama, Guanajuato, Mexico) is a Mexican actor. Robles began his career in 1994 to participate in the soap opera ''El vuelo del águila ''El vuelo del águila'' (''The Flight of the Eagle'' ...

as Piero Verástegui *Felipe Nájera as Padre Mariano† *Patricio Castillo† as Homero de la Garza *

Osvaldo de León Osvaldo de León (born May 6, 1984 in Brownsville, Texas, United States ) is an American actor and model. He debuted on television in 2007 in the Mexican telenovela '' Palabra de Mujer'', playing Ariel Castellanos. Osvaldo has participated in se ...

as Leonardo Olvera de la Garza *Luis Fernando Peña as Eliseo† *

Geraldine Galván Geraldine Alejandra Galván Correa (born August 30, 1993, Mexico City, Mexico), is a Mexican actress and singer. Career Geraldine Galván began her acting career at the age of four. Subsequently, she prepared in the center of artistic educati ...

as Fabiola Camargo Aresti *Lucas Velázquez as César Camargo Aresti *

as Sebastián Sánchez Bretón *Ana Paula Martínez as Alina Falcón Caligaris *

Alberto Agnesi Alberto Agnesi (born November 21, 1977) is a Mexican telenovela and stage actor. He has recently acted in Señora acero, La leona and '' Operación Pacífico''. Life He is known because his Tequila brand Señor de los cielos, Reina del sur an ...

as Antonio Araujo *Mariluz Bermúdez as Marilú Tapia *Manuel Guízar† as Benigno Jiménez *

Mariana Garza Mariana Garza Alardín, (born October 19, 1970 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican singer and actress. Biography Mariana Garza is the daughter of Ana Silvia Garza, (and the granddaughter of Ramiro Garza and Mexican poet Carmen Alardín). S ...

as María Jiménez† *Joana Brito as Nadia *María Prado as Elvira *Claudia Ortega as Berenice *Ignacio Guadalupe as Manolo *José Montini as Teniente Carmelo Hernández *Juan Romanca as Celio *Manuel Raviela as Felipe *

Pablo Valentín (17 October 1972), known professionally as ''Pablo Valentín'' is a theater, film and television actor best known for his role as Pedro in ''Vecinos''. Early life Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Valentín has appeared in telenovelas such ...

as Comandante Alejandro Lazcano *Teo Tapia as Patrick Ontiveros *Toño Infante as Armando *Uriel del Toro as Pedro *Benjamín Islas as Ceferino *Claudio Roca as Bonifacio *Leandro Castello as John *Leonardo Cappi as Federico *Libia Regalado as Chelito *Wiebaldo López† as Obispo * Rosita Bouchot as Perla *Ricardo Vera as Porfirio *Fernanda Ruizos as Trabajadora Social *Veticeyva Vielma as Lupe *

Aurora Clavel Aurora Clavel (born August 14, 1936) is a Mexican film and television actress who is noted for her roles in the movies '' Tarahumara'' (1965) and ''Once Upon a Scoundrel'' (1973), as well as in numerous telenovelas. For example, she played Mama ...

as Eduviges *Germán Gutiérrez as Ezequiel Santos *Erik Guecha as Jorge *Ignacio Casano as Mike Rodríguez *Rafael del Villar as Lic. Julio Manrique *Raymundo Capetillo† as Edmundo Valencia *Francisco Avendaño as Veterinario *Reneé Varsi as Dra. Marylin Lomelí *Juan Sahagún as Enrique Escalona *Beatriz Moreno as Rosa Toscano *Héctor Sáez as Dr. Mario Veronese

Special participation

*Erik Díaz as Ricardo *

Lorena Velázquez Lorena Velázquez (; born December 15, 1937) is a Mexican actress and former beauty pageant titleholder. Biography Born María de la Concepción Lorena Villar in Mexico City, Velázquez debuted in 1955. She competed in Miss Mexico in 1958 and p ...

as Señora Carmona *

Kika Edgar Kika Edgar (born January 9) is a Mexican actress and singer. Biography Sandra Erika Edgar Garza was born in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Beginning her career primarily in theater and musicals, she has become well known in Mexico, star ...

as Young Celeste Flores *

as Gabriel Sánchez Fernández† *

Laisha Wilkins Laisha Wilkins Pérez (born 18 May 1976) is a Mexican actress, talk show hostess and producer. Biography She is the daughter of Federico Wilkins, not to be confused with Federico Wilkins, a Televisa producer, and Susana Pérez. Originally s ...

as Inés Valdivia Aresti *

Dulce María Dulce María Espinosa Saviñón (, born 6 December 1985), simply known as Dulce María, is a Mexican singer, songwriter, actress and author. Dulce María began her career at age 5, participating in more than 100 TV commercials. At 11 she was pa ...

as Joaquina "Jackie" Barragán *

Queta Lavat (born February 23, 1929), known professionally as Queta Lavat, is a Mexican actress. She is the sister of actor Jorge Lavat and voice actor José Lavat, and mother of Mexican sports anchor Pablo Carrillo. She is best known for her roles in ''Las ...

as Mercedes

Production

''Mentir para vivir'', itself the fourth name, was previously known as ''La Sustituta'', ''Oriana'', and ''Mentiras de verdad''. Production of ''Mentir para vivir'' officially started on March 4, 2013.

Awards and nominations

; TVyNovelas Awards

References

External links

* * {{Televisa telenovelas 2010s Mexican telenovelas 2013 telenovelas Televisa telenovelas 2013 Mexican television series debuts 2013 Mexican television series endings Spanish-language telenovelas