Maria Micaela Villegas Hurtado (28 September 1748 – 16 May 1819), known as ''La Perricholi'', was a Peruvian entertainer and mistress of Manuel de Amat y Junyent,

Viceroy of Peru The viceroys of Peru ruled the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1544 to 1824 in the name of the monarch of Spain. The territories under ''de jure'' rule by the viceroys included in the 16th and 17th century almost all of South America except eastern Brazi ...

from 1761 to 1776. Their son, Manuel de Amat y Villegas, was one of the signers of Peru’s declaration of independence from Spain on 28 July 1821.

Life

''La Perricholi'' was the sixth child born to Don José Villegas and Doña Teresa Hurtado de Mendoza. Born in either Tomayquichua (in the province of Huanuco) or the capital city of Lima, she was baptized at the Lima Cathedral on December 1, 1748. She debuted on the stage of Coliseo de Comedias in 1763 and became a popular star within romance and comedy. She retired in 1788, and married in 1795.

Ricardo Palma Manuel Ricardo Palma Soriano (February 7, 1833 – October 6, 1919) was a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian and politician. His magnum opus is the ''Tradiciones peruanas''. Biography According to the official account, Manuel Ricardo Pa ...

in his book ''

Tradiciones Peruanas ''Peruvian Traditions'' ( es, Tradiciones peruanas, link=no) is a compendium of some of the writings of the Peruvian writer Ricardo Palma. Introduction The writings, which are collectively known as the ''Tradiciones'', started appearing in 1863 i ...

'' writes about her life and describes her as charming woman. He also provides historical information about her relationship with Amat. According to the author, she inspired Amat to build some of the beautiful buildings in the colonial city of Lima, such as La Alameda de los Descalzos, La Quinta de Presa, el Templo de las Nazarenas or El Paseo de Aguas. Her story provided the basis for Prosper Mérimée’s comic one-act '' Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement'', which in turn provided the basis for both Jacques Offenbach’s ''

opéra bouffe Opéra bouffe (, plural: ''opéras bouffes'') is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, inspiring the genre's name. Opéras bouf ...

'', ''

La Périchole ''La Périchole'' () is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French libretto based on the 1829 one act play '' Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement'' by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived on ...

'' and Jean Renoir’s 1953

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' Le Carrosse d'or'' (''The Golden Coach''). A miniseries was made in 1994 based on her story. It had great success and launched the career of

Mónica Sánchez Mónica Mariel Sánchez Cuadros (born. February 27, 1970) is a Peruvian actress.Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...

's ''

The Bridge of San Luis Rey ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year. Premise ''The Bri ...

''.

References

1748 births 1819 deaths People from Lima Peruvian stage actresses 18th-century Peruvian actresses 19th-century Peruvian women {{Peru-actor-stub