"La India María" (born María Nicolasa Cruz) is a fictional character portrayed and created by actress
María Elena Velasco
María Elena Velasco Fragoso (17 December 1940 – 1 May 2015) was a Mexican actress, comedian, singer-songwriter and dancer. She is best known for creating and portraying La India María, a comical character based on indigenous Mexican women.
...
racial discrimination
Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their Race (human categorization), race, ancestry, ethnicity, ethnic or national origin, and/or Human skin color, skin color and Hair, hair texture. Individuals ...
,
classism
Class discrimination, also known as classism, is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class. It includes individual attitudes, behaviors, systems of policies and practices that are set up to benefit the upper class at the expense of ...
, and
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
, although in all of these turmoils, María undoubtedly resolves them with hilarious acts of good-nature and morality. She has represented the poor
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
, the migrant worker, the forsaken woman, 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
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
In her first film, she mentions that her hometown is "San José de los Burros". Nevertheless, different hometowns are suggested in other films. For example, her hometown is changed to "Chipitongo el Alto", for which she serves a term as municipal president in ''
La presidenta municipal
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
*La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
'' (1975). In ''El que no corre... vuela!'' (1981), she mentions her hometown as "San Pablo Cuatro Venados". Other given hometowns are Nopalillo (Little Prickly Pear Cactus), San Bartolo Tezmelucan, among others.
Characteristics
Despite being an illiterate woman and very prone to mistakes, La India Maria has shown to be of quick wit and even of impressive athletic ability, being able to fend off enemies with karate like abilities. Many people try to take advantage of her good nature and some unfortunately get away with it. However in the end she manages to defeat even powerful villains with her good intentions and ability to turn their influence against them.
Commute to Mexico City
Since La India María's rural hometown does not have many job opportunities, her cousin Eufemia invites her to work for a sophisticated aristocratic woman who is the countess of
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico (; ), sometimes also called Basin of Mexico, is a highlands plateau in central Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations including Teotihuacan, ...
, in
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 ...
. Her name is Doña Julia 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 is illegal). A group of police officers arrest them, but María Nicolasa finds refuge in Doña Julia'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, Texas
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
at the request of an American refugee with whom she quickly falls in love and names "Mr. Pancho". Second in ''Ni de aquí ni de allá'', she travels to
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and is 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 pursues her all over the city, as she finds work in a Mexican restaurant, and then as a maid for a sick American entrepreneur, who ends up being a drug trafficker that is arrested at the end.
Cameo appearances
*In '' Mujer, casos de la vida real'', an episode entitled ''Amor incondicional'', she portrays a discriminated maid and nanny.
*In '' La Familia Peluche'', she appears in an episode as the housemaid of "Exelsa".
She also had cameos in the dramedy series '' Papá Soltero'' and the comedy show ''
La hora pico
''La Hora Pico'' (English: Rush Hour) is a Mexican television sketch comedy show featured on the channel “Las Estrellas”. It was broadcast from September 2000 to September 2007. The program starred comedians such as Consuelo Duval, Miguel Gal ...
IMDb
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...