There is no better villain like Soraya Montenegro, the venomous, sleek and sharp-tongued bad girl from the canonized Mexican telenovela Maria la del Barrio. Despite first airing in the ‘90s, Soraya remains astronomically popular, with Tiktoks and reels dedicated to her style and her legacy. What is it about her that has stood the test of time? There is something about a disturbed villain that owns her evilness and that allows the good girls to shine by nature of contrast. In this episode, our Executive Editor Maria Garcia explores what Soraya’s legacy reveals about being labeled an evil woman, and even, human evolution.

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This episode was produced by Maria Garcia. Edited by Marlon Bishop. Production help by Nour Saudi. Fact checking by Roxana Aguirre. Engineered by Stephanie Lebow.

Featured collage by Diego Perdomo.