MIAMI - In Spanish, there is the saying "Madre solo hay una"—there's only one mother, and for certain telenovela characters, it's a blessing! The creativity of scriptwriters in crafting despicably terrible mothers appears boundless.
These mothers are malevolent not just to others but also endanger their own children with inconceivable and perilous schemes. Consider the supremely evil Catalina Creel from "Cuna de Lobos" and Altagracia Sandoval in "La Doña," who made life hellish for many, among other telenovela matriarchs who are worse than any mother-in-law or archenemy.
While modernizing the narratives and characters of telenovelas is certainly a positive development going on right now in Spanish language television, the allure of traditional villains in a telenovela remains unmatched. In all truth, when the villain is a madre, the blend of horror and amusement intensifies, providing a mix that both horrifies and hilariously entertains.
These are the women who, with a single raised eyebrow and an innocent expression, can signal the coming of a heinous act. The actresses who have played them deserve a special place in the history of the best performances in telenovela history, from the legendary María Rubio, to Diana Bracho, Itatí Cantoral, Laura Zapata, Gaby Spanic, and even Lucero. They made their characters iconic and unforgettable.
These characters are more memorable than the naive protagonists and offer a fun reminder—and perhaps even gratitude—that your own mother (and maybe your mother-in-law?) is nothing like these iconic bad mothers of telenovelas.
Telenovela's most memorable villainous mothers
Itatí Cantoral - "El Señor de los Cielos 9"
The ninth and last season of Telemundo's iconic super series "El Señor de los Cielos" has delivered the unforgettable character of Belén San Román, formerly Blanca Lovato. She is not only one of the most corrupt politicians ever created in the world of telenovelas, but she is also putting down her daughter and stealing her man on a regular basis.
María Rubio - "Cuna de lobos"
In the iconic telenovela "Cuna de Lobos," the character Catalina Creel wears a distinctive eye patch, coordinated with her outfit, to deceive her stepson into believing he caused her to lose an eye. This act of manipulation escalates to even darker deeds when she ultimately murders her own son.
Gaby Spanic - La Usurpadora
In the telenovela "La Usurpadora," Paola Bracho abandoned her children to run away with a lover. As the story unfolds, when the children grow fond of her sister Paulina—who had been impersonating her—Paola throws her out of the house without explanation, resulting in one of the children going missing for a long time. Truly, a contender for "mother of the year!"
Lucero - "Mañana es para siempre"
In the telenovela "Mañana es para siempre," Lucero's character, Bárbara Greco, commits a number of heinous crimes. She first murders the wife of her lover, framing the crime on her daughter, who is then committed to an asylum. Additionally, Bárbara manipulates situations to separate her daughter Aurora from her true love, ensuring she remains unrivaled for her daughter's affection. Graco was so evil that she was nicknamed "The Hyena."
Laura Zapata -"María Mercedes"
In the telenovela "María Mercedes," the character Malvina, who is the protagonist's mother, manipulates her son extensively. While he is still in mourning for his first wife, she persuades him to get married, and later she persuades him that Thalía, his second wife, is insane. Ultimately, Malvina goes so far as to take their children away, showcasing her manipulative and malevolent nature.
Kristina Lilley - "Pasión de Gavilanes"
In "Pasión de Gavilanes," Gabriela de Elizondo is the main villain. She ruthlessly forces her eldest daughter into a loveless marriage and subsequently carries on an affair with her son-in-law, showcasing her manipulative and morally corrupt nature.
Nailea Norvind - "La Candidata"
In the telenovela "La Candidata," Nailea Norvind delivers a standout performance as Teresa Rivera, a deeply flawed and despicable mother. Not only does she physically abuse her teenage daughter, but she also manipulates her to harm her ex-husband and even steals money from her.
Leticia Calderón - "Amor Bravío"
In the telenovela "Amor Bravío," Leticia Calderón portrays Isadora viuda de Lazcano, a character whose malevolence knows no bounds. She commits murder, torture, and even mutilates someone by cutting out their tongue. Her son Alonso also falls victim to her hatred and ambition; while he is hospitalized for a heart attack, she continues to berate him as useless and ultimately causes his death by pushing his car off a cliff.
Azela Robinson - "Ya no creo en los hombres"
In the telenovela "Ya no creo en los hombres," the character Josefa inflicts severe psychological torture on her daughter, manipulating and tormenting her throughout the series.Poor Isela was manipulated by Josefa, episode after episode, who had driven Isela's sister to suicide. Mother of the year!
Daniela Castro -"Lo que la vida me robó
To keep her riches, Graciela stops her daughter Montserrat and Alejandro's relationship and makes her marry someone else. And to keep them separated, she helps kidnap their kids. So not only is she a bad mother, but a terrible grandma!
Paulina García - "Narcos"
Hermilda Gaviria, Pablo Escobar's mom, turned out to be another gem. At least that's what it looks like based on how she was portrayed in both El patrón del mal and Narcos. She was the one who instilled in her son a taste for cheating and played an active role in building his empire. Later, she was allegedly involved in the scheme to extract a large part of his fortune from his widow and children. Let's hope they exaggerated things for television.
Aracely Arámbula - "La Doña"
Played by Danna Paola, poor Monica was constantly mistreated by her mother, Altagracia Sandoval. The daughter was practically made into a slave when she wanted to have a relationship with her. Things got even worse when they fell in love with the same man. Altagracia Sandoval was a very complicated mother, to say the least!
Edith González - Doña Bárbara
In the telenovela version of "Doña Barbara," as in the Rómulo Gallegos novel of the same name, Doña Bárbara disowns her daughter Marisela as soon as she was born and sends her to live far away and in poverty. When she grows up, she steals her inheritance and even disputes the man they both love.
Olivia Collins - "Dulce desafío"
Rosario forces her daughter into a bigamous marriage with a man twenty years her senior without telling her that he was a criminal. Only a telenovela screenwriter could come up with the complications that ensued.
Diana Bracho - "Fuego en la sangre"
Gabriela Acevedo, the matriarch of "Fuego en la sangre" and widow of Elizondo, was extremely dangerous. The lady was no helpless widow but a hateful woman, who exploited her eldest daughter (Adela Noriega) for money and doesn't even shake her hand when it comes to handing out slaps.
Maritza Rodríguez -"Marido en alquiler"
The hated Teresa Cristina is one of the most materialist mothers in the history of telenovelas. She never knows what her teenage children are up to, but she also goes ballistic when they defy her rules and uses them as hurtful prompts for her crazy shenanigans.
Diana Bracho - "El Hotel de los Secretos"
Doña Teresa is another one of the worst mothers in telenovelas. The lady pretends to be crazy when it comes to crimes that take place in her hotel. But she also doesn't hesitate to send her only son to war and to force one of her daughters to marry a murderer.
Daniela Romo - "Alborada"
Doña Juana Arellano, widow of Manrique, drove her son Antonio (Arturo Peniche) to the brink of insanity so that he would consummate the marriage with his wife Hipolita (Lucero). When that doesn't happen, this "great" mother hires a guy (Fernando Colunga) to have sex with Hipolita and get her pregnant. As usually happens in telenovelas, she succeeds and the doña makes her son raise someone else's baby, believing it is his. Do you still think there are worse mothers-in-law?
Adriana Esteves - "Avenida Brasil"
Carmina, the central character of the soap opera Avenida Brasil, managed to both enthrall and outrage the entire continent. She abandons her son and the daughter of her late husband in a dumpster. Once she marries a famous soccer player, she gets him back, but makes him believe he is a pickup and wants to manipulate every aspect of his life.
Laura Zapata - "La Gata"
Lorenza de Martínez-Negrete is high society woman who separates her son from the woman she loves because the girl does not meet her expectations: she has no money, is not from a good family, and was not properly educated either. To make matters worse, Lorenza conspires with her husband to cheat on her own son in order to send him abroad. And, although she later becomes a grandmother, she prefers to ignore the existence of her grandchildren, her blood, because of her hatred for her mother.
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