ÃÂngela is a Mexican telenovela produced by José Alberto Castro for Televisa that premiered on November 30, 1998 and ended on March 19, 1999. The series stars Angélica Rivera and Juan Soler.
ÃÂngela (Angélica Rivera) is a charming and beautiful young school teacher, with a sweet but firm character. Her only living relative is her mother, Delia (Ana MartÃÂn), a sick and embittered woman. On her deathbed, Delia makes ÃÂngela swear an oath that she will rise to the top in life and with her last breath she curses Emilia Santillana (Jacqueline Andere), the woman who stole ÃÂngela's father away from her.
Upon hearing at last the name that Delia had always refused to reveal, ÃÂngela vows, with chilling determination, that she will not rest until she has found this woman and made her pay for ruining her mother's life. Emilia Santillana lives in the city of San Miguel de Allende, where she runs a very successful silver business. She owns a mine and a factory.
One day, ÃÂngela arrives at Emilia's company seeking employment. Yolanda Rivas (Olivia Bucio), Emilia's right hand, takes pity on the seemingly sweet and shy young girl and persuades her boss to hire her. Gradually, ÃÂngela wins her trust. ÃÂngela is convinced of her righteousness and uses her beauty and her growing influence within the business to systematically destroy Emilia's world.
Only one person mistrusts her and is not seduced by her apparent innocence: Mariano Bautista (Juan Soler), a young engineer who works in the silver mine. ÃÂngela tries to ignore her attraction for Mariano, but finally comes to realize that she truly loves him.
And, for the first time in her life, the promise of happiness seems within her reach when Mariano confesses that he too has fallen in love with her. Nevertheless, the oath she swore over her mother's grave binds her to her destiny and ÃÂngela is now powerless to stop the tidal wave of destruction and suffering that she herself has unleashed.
Yadhira Carrillo was originally cast as ÃÂngela but replaced by Rivera at the last minute with little explanation causing some cast members to leave the cast in solidarity with Carrillo. Leading man Juan Soler eventually went to star with Yadhira three years later in the successful soap opera La otra.