My Favourite Telenovela

If you have read my previous blog post, Top Ten Favourite Belizean Proverbs, then you must know by now that I am a Belizean. However, my mum was actually born and raised in El Salvador then later moved to Belize. Thanks to her for mostly talking to me in Spanish, I became pretty fluent in the language.

I can remember her watching tons of telenovelas when I was little but I never really paid mind to them. It wasn’t until I had gotten a bit older that I sat down and watched them with her. After watching about one or two of them I concluded that all of them are the same. They all had more or less the same plot, but yet the little differences made me like each one in their own right. Since I’ve basically become a miniature version of my mother (sans children), I’m always in search of a new one to replace the one that just ended.

I often find myself going back to this specific telenovela no matter how many years have passed.

Here is my favourite telenovela! 

Triunfo Del Amor (Triumph of Love)

This is by far my #1 favourite telenovela of all time! I love everything about this little show. It aired in 2010 and ended in 2011.

Plot:

Victoria Sandoval, who was a domestic helper at the time, fell pregnant for the priest Juan Pablo before he made his vows of chastity. When his mother, Bernarda, found out she was so enraged that she fired Victoria and put her out on the streets. She eventually found another job in a sewing factory. A few years later, when she was going home with her little daughter, Maria, she was hit by a car that was being driven by a vengeful Bernarda in an attempt to kill them both so as to get rid of any evidence of her son’s past that would definitely taint his reputation. Due to this accident, Victoria ends up being separated from Maria.

Many years later, Victoria manages to work her way up to fame, fortune and power through her fashion empire with the help of her best friend, Antonieta. She is now married to the famous actor, Osvaldo Sandoval. She also has a biological daughter, Fernanda and a stepson (Osvaldo’s son from his first marriage), Maximiliano.

Her first daughter, Maria, was found by some nuns. It turns out that Victoria always holds a charity fashion show for the nun’s orphanage. At one of these fashion shows Maria meets Victoria, not knowing that she is her mother, and expresses how much she admires her. At this event, Maria and Maximiliano notice each other. Maria also comes in contact with Osvaldo who gives her a recommendation card after she tells him that she aspires to become a model for his wife. Victoria sees the two being all friendly and she becomes extremely jealous. Maria eventually uses the recommendation card to try to get a job as a model but Victoria treats her very badly. However, Victoria ends up hiring her after all.

Although Victoria sometimes hurts Maria’s feelings that does not stop her from doing the best that she can in solidifying her career as a model. She and Max eventually fall in love, but Victoria is totally against this relationship. She then partners up with Max’s ex girlfriend, Jimena, to separate the two. Jimena ends up being pregnant for another man but tricks Max into thinking that it’s for him by taking advantage of the drunken state that he was in one night. Victoria forces Max to marry Jimena. Meanwhile, Maria is the one who is really pregnant with Max’s baby but hides it from him after being broken hearted by the news of his supposed infidelity.

After the babies are born Max eventually learns the truth that Jimena’s baby boy isn’t really his. However, he sees that Jimena is unfit to take care of him so he maintains full custody of the child. Maria forgives Max and allows him to be a part of their son’s life.

Victoria eventually discovers the true identity of Maria and is suddenly filled with deep remorse and guilt for treating her own daughter so badly and ultimately making her life a misery. She then begs for Maria to forgive her but Maria was reluctant to do so. Maria eventually falls sick but Victoria stays by her side to support her until she recovers. This results in Maria having a change of heart and she forgives Victoria. Finally, she and Max get married and live happily with their two sons. Maria is at peace now that she has found her parents and has a true identity.

There you have it, guys! 

This is and will always be my all time favourite telenovela. I hope you all enjoyed reading my little summary and maybe you even check it out. If you do decide to watch it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Let me just tell you that there’s WAYYY more to the story than what I’ve described. There are so many subplots that I didn’t get into. I’ve touched only the tip of the iceberg! So while you’re locked up at home during this quarantine you should definitely watch it.

To anyone wanting to learn Spanish, currently learning Spanish or even if you know how to speak Spanish but you want more experience hearing it, I highly recommend watching telenovelas during your free time. It helps A LOT!

Giovanna
xx