Maldita Lisiada : Social Formation and Iconography

It is no doubt that Telenovelas hold a resounding cultural impact on Latin America, however, it is not always that they transcend Latin borders to resonate internationally. Maria La Del Barrio not only spun across the globe, being translated in over 25 languages, but it broke the internet in modern day through its iconographic villain, Soroya Montenegro. Soroya is regarded as one of the most famous and recognizable novela villains due to the intensity of her character. She was no stranger to violent outbursts, fake pregnancies, witchcraft, and even murder. Soroya’s obsession with Luis Fernando and with getting rid of Maria drove her to her witt’s end, characterized by her conniving plans that always ended in screams, tears, or both. The one sentence that cemented Soroya’s place in telenovela villain history was “Maldita Lisiada”as it denoted her most identifiable moment in which she discovered her step daughter was kissed on the cheek by the boy Soroya also liked (who was half her age). Soroya is not a stranger to political incorrectness as her line literally translates to “damned crippled girl,” and she wanted a boy over 15 years younger than her, however, this made her all the more villainous, as it showed she was truly evil to her core. 

Today, almost 30 years after the show’s premiere, this scene is still being talked about, as it produced a famous meme that inadvertently led to more memes of Soroya. Soroya is easily one of the most pop culture famous telenovela characters, becoming even more famous than the protagonists of the show as she became a symbol for the dramatic antics of telenovelas. Her images line the halls of Twitter and Tumblr, where her vindictive nature is used humorously. Even my mom who has never watched Maria La Del Barrio, still recognized Soroya and "La Maldita Lisiada." 

I was surprised to see that this scene is so famous that it even made its way to American television through its spoof on Orange is the New Black where it is seen as a quintessential part of the Hispanic TV watching experience. 

In fact, her reach is so far and wide that I was surprised to even see an edit of her on the famous scene from the shining, again permeating into American culture. Additionally, she is used in popculture references about the internet as the meme below portrays a line from Soroya for someone who unadded you on Facebook. Thus, it is evident that with Maria La Del Barrio accessible to the current generation through streaming services such as VIX and Netflix, a new cotemporary synergy has been born in which the younger, Hispanic American generations are also engaging with and contexualizing telenovela material. 

It is fun and exciting to see a piece of Latin culture like the telenovela make its way into the mainstream, serving as a way to introduce and draw people into the genre. I for one, choose to watch this novela BECAUSE I always wondered where the meme came from. Soroya has produced a phenomen that is essential for the rise and spread of the telenovela genre into the 21st century.