La Reina del Sur: Beyond a Cinderella Story

“La Reina del Sur” is a telenovela produced by Telemundo that tells the story of Teresa Mendoza, a Mexican woman who is forced to flee after the murder of her boyfriend, Güero, leaves her vulnerable to the cartel that he is accused of stealing from. Breaking from the traditional telenovela “Rosa,” “La Reina del Sur” does not begin with the start of a love story but rather builds the story backwards through flashbacks that Teresa has as she remembers her lost love. There are a few traditional themes in “La Reina del Sur,” however, including “el Despecho” and some of the characteristics of a Cinderella story. 
The opening scene of the telenovela shows Teresa when she finds out that her boyfriend has been killed. Both in this scene and in those that follow, there are symbols of “despecho” such as the tequila bottle she places near the bathtub and the rancheras that play as she wanders through the streets at the beginning of her escape. Her memories and flashbacks to the time she spent with Güero also demonstrate this prolonged and tortuous existence that Teresa will have to endure until she can establish a new life for herself or find new love.
While, “La Reina del Sur” generally departs from the traditional Cinderella story line that many telenovelas follow, there are a few similar qualities to this story. Through flashbacks we see that Teresa’s love story with Güero was very similar to a telenovela “Rosa” in that she is poor and virginal emotionally as she explains to Güero when they are sitting at the pool together. However, rather than being an urban professional, Güero is instead a narcotrafficker. This traditional story line, though woven throughout the telenovela is only a background to the more modern story of Teresa as she tries to survive without her prince charming.
One of the more modern aspects of this telenovela thus far is the representation of women through Teresa. Teresa’s naivete is not something that makes her less intelligent than other characters, but rather it is a lack of knowledge of the world of “narcos” which currently leaves her at a disadvantage. However, over time she will lose this naivete and become more powerful and independent. Hints of this power are shown as she escapes Gato and Rata who try to kill her by taking advantage of her perceived weakness as a woman. In both cases, Teresa shows that she has the ability to take care of herself and fight for survival, something many women in telenovelas “rosas” need their prince for.      


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