''Corazón Salvaje'' (''Wild Heart'') 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 (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

produced by José Rendón for

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

in 1993. In addition to breaking audience records in issue, it is one of the most memorable and most successful telenovelas of all time. It is the third television adaptation by Maria Zarattini, about the legendary love triangle between two young countesses, Monica and Aimée with the illegitimate son of a wealthy landowner, Juan del Diablo. The historical advisor for this telenovela was Jose Ruiz de Esparza who also advised the production of '' Alondra'' also starred by Ana Colchero in the title role.

Edith González Edith González Fuentes (; 10 December 1964 – 13 June 2019) was a Mexican actress, regarded as a blonde bombshell and one of the most beautiful actresses in Mexican cinema. She is best remembered for working on multiple telenovelas produced by ...

and

Eduardo Palomo Eduardo Estrada Palomo (; (México City; May 13, 1962 – Los Angeles; November 6, 2003) was a Mexican actor. Palomo became famous across Mexico and Latin America after his 1993 Juan del Diablo characterization in '' Corazón salvaje''. Career H ...

starred as protagonists, while Ana Colchero, Ariel López Padilla, Arsenio Campos and the leading actress Claudia Islas starred as antagonists.

César Évora César Évora Díaz (; born November 4, 1959) is a Cuban- Mexican actor. Biography Évora started his career in Cuba appearing in more than ten movies before moving to Mexico in the early 1990s. He became known for playing minor roles in the ...

, Isaura Espinoza,

Yolanda Ventura Yolanda Ventura (born 21 October 1968, in Barcelona, Spain) is a dual nationality Spanish/Mexican actress and was a Spanish singer when she was young . She is best known for roles in Mexican telenovelas and is a former member of the Spanish chi ...

, the leading actresses

Luz María Aguilar Luz María Aguilar Torres (born 26 March 1935) is a Mexican actress from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Aguilar has worked as an actress in theatre, cinema and television. One of her main roles was in the series ''Hogar, dulce hogar'' for ...

, Queta Lavat, Queta Carrasco, and the leading actors Julio Monterde and

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 stellar performances.

Plot

Francisco Alcazar is a wealthy landowner, who owns

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

fields. Francisco is married to Sofia, a severe and uncompassionate woman, with whom he has a son named Andres. Before his marriage to Sofia, Francisco had an affair with a married woman who was physically abused by her husband. The woman became

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

and died when the child was 3 years old. This love-child is, in fact, Francisco's true firstborn. When this woman became pregnant, her husband refused to recognize the boy as his son. He also did not allow Francisco to recognize the child as his own. Thus, the boy named "Juan", became known as "Juan del Diablo" (Juan of the

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

) because he had no last name. Juan's mother eventually died of the shame and from the physical abuse she had received from her husband. Juan was raised with no love or instruction, in

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

and

neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness and ...

. In his early teens, Juan's

stepfather A stepfather or stepdad is a biologically unrelated male parent married to one's preexisting parent. A stepfather-in-law is a stepfather of one's spouse. Children from his spouse's previous unions are known as his stepchildren. In fiction Thou ...

dies. Francisco, hiding the fact that Juan is his son, decides to invite him to live at his estate with his family, on the pretext of being a playmate for Andrés. Sofia finds out the truth and tries to send Juan away, to which Francisco objects. Finally, Francisco has an accident while riding his

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

before he could legally recognize Juan as his son. Francisco leaves a letter with his intentions addressed to his friend and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

Noel Mancera. Sofia seizes the letter and hides it. On his deathbed, Francisco sends for his son Andrés, and while not telling the truth, asks him to care for Juan as a brother. After his death, Sofía sends Juan away without saying anything to Andrés. Eventually, Sofia decides to send Andrés to

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

in Spain. Juan grows up among the

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

s and pirates of the port-city, earning a shocking reputation for dirty business (

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

), ruthlessness, and harboring unbound

loyalty Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

from his men. Juan is also a womanizer, his heart is still untaken. He has learned the identity of his biological father because Noel Mancera has told him. Through the years, Mancera has given Juan some

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

, and even offered to give him his last name. However, Juan refuses the offer because he feels that a last name is unwarranted in his chosen occupation. Meanwhile, Mónica and Aimée are two beautiful young

countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

es, daughters of the deceased Count of Altamira, a distant cousin of Sofia de Alcazar. The Altamira family are very respectable in high society, but they now find themselves in

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

. Their only asset is their nobility and beauty, and the long promise of

betrothal An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

between Monica and Andrés. Unfortunately for Mónica, Andres has forgotten about their engagement. While visiting

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Andres meets Mónica's younger sister. Aimee is beautiful, flirty and selfish. She shows interest in Andrés because he has wealth, influence, and power. Andrés falls completely in love with Aimée, a fact he later shares with his mother when she comes to visit him. When Sofia returns home, she informs Catalina de Altamira that Andres has broken the engagement with Monica because he is now intent on marrying Aimee. Catalina is mortified at the thought of Monica's heartbreak. With her family's financial ruin in mind, Catalina reluctantly agrees to an engagement between Aimee and Andres. When Monica discovers that Andres has broken their engagement in order to marry her sister, she is immediately heartbroken. Monica decides to enter a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

to become a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

. Monica denies her feelings for Andres and tells everyone that becoming a nun is her true calling. Meanwhile, Aimée returns to her hometown with her mother. One day, while walking along the beach, she spies Juan taking a bath in his beach house. Aimee had never met Juan and is unaware of his past or his connection to the Alcazar family. She watches him from a distance, but Juan sees her. Over the next few days, Aimee returns several times to spy on Juan. He decides to confront her and catches her while she's hiding. Soon after, Juan and Aimée fall in love and become lovers. Juan goes away on a business trip and Aimee promises to wait for his return and marry him. When Andres arrives in his hometown, Aimée ignores her promise to Juan and agrees to marry Andres. Juan returns from his business trip several weeks later as a millionaire. Juan discovers that Aimee is now married to his half-brother and decides to

kidnap Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

her so that she carries out her promise. Andres, who knows nothing about his kinship to Juan and the affair between him and his wife, decides to employ him as the steward of Campo Real, his country estate. Meanwhile, Monica leaves the convent to spend some time in the

countryside In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically describ ...

with her family. Monica quickly discovers the affair between Juan and Aimee. Monica confronts her sister, but Aimee refuses to end her affair with Juan. Since Monica decides to leave the convent, Andres attempts to redeem himself by proposing an engagement between Monica and his friend Alberto de la Serna. Meanwhile, Andres learns that Juan is actually his brother and that he had an unseemly

affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

with a young lady in his household. Andres immediately assumes that the lady in question is Monica. Because of this misunderstanding, Monica is pressured to get married immediately. Monica agrees to get married in an attempt to protect Andres and her sister from the impending

scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

, but she refuses to marry Alberto. Instead, Monica decides to marry Juan because she believes this is the only way to prevent Aimee to continue her affair with him. In an unexpected turn of events, Juan accepts to marry Monica. Aimee is filled with

jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of Emotional insecurity, insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, he ...

and rage at the thought of Juan being married to her sister. Aimee spends all her time plotting and scheming to destroy Monica's engagement to Juan. Unfortunately for Aimee, Juan is no longer interested in her. He is now captivated by Monica's beauty and her kind demeanor. At the same time, Monica discovers a whole different side to Juan's personality. Monica learns that despite Juan's rough exterior, he can also be kind, gentle, and noble. Against all odds, Monica and Juan slowly begin to fall in love. Their happiness is short lived when Andres finds out about Juan's affair with Aimée.

Cast

as ''Countess Mónica de Altamira Montero de Alcazar y Valle'' *

as ''Juan "del Diablo" Alcázar y Valle/Francisco Alcázar y Valle'' * Ana Colchero as ''Countess Aimeé de Altamira Montero de Alcazar y Valle'' * Ariel López Padilla as ''Carlos Andrés Francisco Alcázar y Valle'' *

as ''Noel Mancera'' * Claudia Islas as ''Sofía Molina Vda. de Alcázar y Valle'' *

as ''Countess Catalina Montero Vda. de Altamira'' *Arsenio Campos as ''Alberto de la Serna'' *Ernesto Yáñez as ''Bautista Rosales'' *

as ''Azucena'' *Javier Ruán as ''Guadalupe Cajiga'' *

as ''Marcelo Romero Vargas'' *Isaura Espinoza as ''Amanda Monterrubio Vda. de Romero Vargas'' * Verónica Merchant as ''Mariana Romero Vargas/Mariana Mancera'' *Olivia Cairo as ''Juanita'' *Emilio Cortés as ''Serafín Campero'' *Ana Laura Espinosa as ''Lupe'' *Gerardo Hemmer as ''Joaquín Martínez'' *Jaime Lozano as ''Segundo Quintana'' *Adalberto Parra as ''Captain Espíndola'' *Alejandro Rábago as ''Pedro'' *Gonzalo Sánchez as ''Facundo Gómez "El Tuerto"' * Mónika Sánchez as ''Rosa'' *Indra Zuno as ''Meche'' *Antonia Marcin as ''Dolores Peñaloza de Altamira'' *Julio Monterde as ''Fray Domingo'' * Queta Lavat as ''Mother Superior'' *Arturo Paulet as ''Lic. Mondragón'' *

Joana Brito Joana Brito Vitelli, known professionally as Joana Brito, (25 April 1947 – 27 June 2023) was a Mexican actress whose professional career spanned more than fifty years. She was known for a long career at Televisa, starring in the company's telen ...

as ''Ana'' *Maribel Palmer as ''Teresa'' * Queta Carrasco as ''Doña Prudencia Santa María'' *María Dolores Oliva as ''Tehua'' *Juan Antonio Llanes as ''Judge Esperón'' *Conchita Márquez as ''Nun Juliana'' *Jorge Valdés García as ''Bautista Rosales's assistant'' * Géraldine Bazán as ''Mónica (child)'' *Julián de Tavira as ''Juan (child)'' *Christian Ruiz as ''Andrés Alcázar y Valle (child)'' *Baldovino *Alicia del Lago *Felio Eliel *Charito Granados *Nelly Horsman *Carl Hillos *Araceli Cordero *Julián Velázquez

Awards

International Broadcasters of Corazón salvaje

;North Central & South America, Caribbean * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Europe, Africa, Asia & Oceania * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{TVyNovelas Award for Best Telenovela 1993 telenovelas 1993 Mexican television series debuts 1994 Mexican television series endings Spanish-language telenovelas Television shows set in Veracruz Televisa telenovelas