Complete credited cast: | |||
Dolores del Rio | ... | María Candelaria | |
Pedro Armendáriz | ... | Lorenzo Rafael | |
![]() |
Alberto Galán | ... | El Pintor |
![]() |
Margarita Cortés | ... | Lupe |
Miguel Inclán | ... | Don Damian | |
![]() |
Beatriz Ramos | ... | Reporter |
Rafael Icardo | ... | Priest | |
![]() |
Julio Ahuet | ... | Jose Alfonso |
![]() |
Lupe del Castillo | ... | Bone-doctor (as Guadalupe del Castillo) |
![]() |
Lupe Inclán | ... | Gossip |
![]() |
Salvador Quiroz | ... | Judge |
![]() |
Nieves | ... | Model |
![]() |
Elda Loza | ... | Model |
![]() |
Lupe Garnica | ... | Model |
In Xochimilco 1909, María Candelaria and Lorenzo Rafael long for getting married but the odds are against them. Maria Candelaria is segregated for being a prostitute's child and the couple faces the greed of Mr. Damian, the town's shop owner who secretly desires Maria. When Maria falls sick with Malaria, Lorenzo Rafael steals a quinine bottle from Damian's shop, unleashing tragedy for the lovers. Written by Raul Ortega
For the younger generations to see movies like this one, may seem that they are not real. They may imagine that the story being told was created by some sick mind. How can it be possible that human beings were so miserable? This story happens in what's now a suburb of Mexico City, but which at that time(early 1940's)was a little village by itself. The destiny of the poor people, specially if they were indians, was to live a life of misery. The few rich owners of the majority of the land and the resources in the area dictated what had to be done. If you were an Indian the situation was even worse. They decided, for their own benefit, the rules that had to be obeyed. If, like in this movie, one of those indians was a beautiful woman that was even worse for her, because she could be taken by the ruling class as a simple sex toy. If she would not accept this, she and anyone close to her would suffer all type of hardships. It is a beautifully told story that could have been a true one.