10 Things You Didn't Know About 'La India María'

Mexican actress and comedian María Elena Velasco, best known for her character "La India María," has died at age 74. Often accompanied by her faithful donkey Filemón, "La India María” illustrated the journey from her native village to the big city and the inevitable comic situations that followed.

Velasco entertained Mexican audiences since the 1960s, and will always be remembered by her faithful followers. She is considered one of the most iconic characters in Mexican Cinema, as well as one of the figures with the longest-running careers in the Entertainment business.

Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about María Elena Velasco, “La India María:”

1) Her dad passed away when she was young, so she had to start working at a young age to help her mother support her 4 siblings.

2) She had her big break on the stage of “Teatro Blanquita,” one of the best-known theatres in México where she had the opportunity to perform comedic sketches next to Pompín Iglesias and Oscar Ortiz de Pinedo.

3) She created “La India María” after playing “Petra”, a domestic employee she portrayed in movies such as “Los derechos de los hijos” and “México de mis recuerdos.”

4) The first time she was featured as “La India María” was in 1968, in the movie “El Bastardo.”

5) Her mom, María Elena Fragoso, was her costume designer.

6) She would follow the “Method Acting Technique” and walk around the streets to find native Mexicans, who she would follow and study for her roles.

7) She married Julián de Meriche (father of her children), they had 3 kids together.

8) Her character was a huge hit in one of the most famous variety shows in México, “Siempre en Domingo,” hosted by Raúl Velasco.

9) María Nicolasa was “La India María´s” full name.

10) She was vetoed from Mexican Television for a long time due to a joke she made about Mexican President José López Portillo.