Behind La Reina del Sur

We all grew up listening to our mothers, grandmothers and aunts talking about telenovelas, or Mexican soap operas, but as the years went by there weren't many of us from the younger generations that were really interested in telenovelas. On a more personal note, to me they always seemed to be so repetitive, always about the same thing, the same plot, tragedy, and a painful love.

However, on that same personal note, La Reina del Sur is one of the most interesting telenovelas that I've seen in a long time. Granted that the last time I watched one was several years ago. The telenovela itself is based on the La Reina del Sur. In fact, when translated, La Reina del Sur literally translates to the "Queen of the South". What is more interesting is that the series is based off of Arturo Perez Reverte's novel, a novel that depicts the life of Teresa Mendoza.

Also, this telenovela is so well known, and so well liked, that in two episodes the total viewers count went up to 3.1 million. The book itself has been distributed in 30 countries and translated in 19 different languages. La Reina del Sur is so popular that it is Telemundo's best scheduled prime time show in the history of National Transit Institute (NTI) history. It is also the leading television series on Telemundo in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Houston.

Just who is Teresa Mendoza? She is the woman who is given the title of La Reina del Sur, the first and only woman to have even taken over the drug cartel business in more than one country. Her story begins in a small town in Mexico where Teresa is from. It is there that she meets the love of her life Raimundo, or "El Guero", as he is called. El Guero is the first man Teresa has ever loved, and he is the first one who introduces her to the world of the drug cartel. The series goes on with acts of betrayal, plots of murder, and the fear of death. To read more of Teresa's story go to http://nurinta.blogspot.com/2011/03/la-reina-del-sur.html.

The question is, what makes La Reina del Sur so captivating, so alluring and so good that it had received the amount of viewers that it has? Mostly, I think, its because of the topic and the story that the series is telling. What's more, not only is it alluring, but it is also filled with action. Not to mention that there are characters in the series that represent, and are from, the countries the series is filming in.

For more information you may visit the following sites:  http://nurinta.blogspot.com/2011/03/la-reina-del-sur.html, or http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110303007075/en/Telemundo%E2%80%99s-La-Reina-Del-Sur-Outperforms-Univision.

(Evelyn Perez may be reached at june713@dusty.tamiu.edu)