''Ciudad Bendita'' is a

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

produced and broadcast by

Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venezuela's largest television networks, owned by the Cisneros Media division of Grupo Cisneros. It was founded in 1961 by Diego Cisneros. It is one of the major telenove ...

and distributed internationally by Venevisión International. The telenovela is an original story written by Leonardo Padrón.

Marisa Román María Isabel Román Bianchetti (born January 30, 1982) is a Venezuelan actress known for her role in various Venevisión telenovelas written by renowned screenwriter and various theater and film productions. Biography Marisa began acting at t ...

and

Roque Valero Roque Valero Pérez (born January 31, 1974) is a Venezuelan singer, actor and politician. Biography Roque was born to parents Roque Valero and Rosario Pérez. He began singing at the age of 7 when he joined the cast of a school play titled ''El ...

star as the main protagonists. Since January 9, 2012, the telenovela has aired in Venezuela through cable channel Venevision Plus to repeated 4pm at 11:30 pm. It is considered a most successful

written by Leonardo Padrón, after '' Cosita rica''.

Plot

Set in the heat of a popular market, Ciudad Bendita tells the love story between two peddlers, two losers, two people of the heap, as anonymous as any. Bendita Sanchez has a detail that obscures her beauty: a limp. On a bus trip back to

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

she meets Juan Lobo, an ugly man that dreams of becoming a musician, and he instantly falls in love with her. However, Bendita happens to love another: Yunior Mercado, a

metrosexual Metrosexual (a portmanteau of '' metropolitan'' and '' heterosexual'') is a term for a man who is especially meticulous about his personal style, grooming and appearance. It is often used to refer to heterosexual men who are perceived to be 'ef ...

playboy, and only views Juan Lobo as a friend despite his composing of various songs to win her favor. Ciudad Bendita is a great tribute to unrequited love, as well as the story of a country, a people, an entire community living on poverty, and a handful of survivors who dream of learning the key to happiness in the muddy streets of a Latin American city.

Cast

Starring

as Bendita Sánchez *

as Juan Lobo

Also starring

* Juan Carlos García as Yúnior Mercado *

Alba Roversi Alba Roversi (born August 14, 1961) is a Venezuelan telenovela and theater actress who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s for her role in telenovelas. Filmography References External links * fro
1961 births Living people People from ...

as María "Maga" Gabriela *

Nohely Arteaga Nohely Coromoto González Arteaga (born December 5, 1963) is a Venezuelan actress recognized internationally for her starring roles in telenovelas during the 1980s and 1990s. Filmography Telenovelas * María Laura (1983) - RCTV * Chao, Cristina ...

as Magaly de Mercado / Doble M *

Gledys Ibarra Gledys Ibarra (born November 19, 1960) is a Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of V ...

as Mercedes Zuleta / La Diabla * Yanis Chimaras as Guaicaipuro Mercado / Puro *

Beatriz Valdés Beatriz Valdés Fidalgo (born May 12, 1963, in Havana) is a Cuban-Venezuelan actress. She was born in Cuba, where she studied drama and worked as an actress before she arrived to Venezuela as a guest at the Cinema Interamerican Forum in 1989. She ...

as Trina de Palacios *

Caridad Canelón Caridad Canelón (born May 16, 1955), is a Venezuelan television actress and singer. She has worked as an actress of telenovelas for Radio Caracas Televisión and Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and ...

as Peregrina de Lobo * Henry Soto as Kike "Kikin" Palacios * Carlos Cruz as Baldomero Sánchez *

Carlota Sosa Carlota Sosa Pietri (born 21 February 1957) is a Spanish-born Venezuelan actress known for her participation in various RCTV and Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venezuela's largest televisi ...

as Julia Barrios de Venturini * Lourdes Valera as Francisca *

Luis Gerónimo Abreu Luis Gerónimo Abreu Ascanio (born 7 September 1972) is a Venezuelan actor best known for his performance in telenovelas. Biography Luis Gerónimo Abreu was born in Caracas on 7 September 1972 to Luis Abreu, an actor and theater director and Ha ...

as Jorge Venturini / Grillo * Milena Santander as Prudencia Barrios *

Guillermo Dávila Guillermo Dávila (born 18 March 1955, in Bailadores) is a Venezuelan actor and singer who has acted in many telenovelas. Biography After starting his career in theatre in the 1970s, Dávila first gained national fame in after starring in the ...

as Macario * Manuel Salazar as Rotundo Quiñones *

Daniela Bascopé Daniela Bascopé (born Daniela Bascopé Van Grieken on 11 April 1982) is an American born Venezuelan actress and singer known for her roles in various telenovelas and films. Biography Daniela began her career in the performing arts world with ...

as Fedora Palacios * Elaiza Gil as Mi Alma * Ana María Simón as Mediática * Andreína Yépez as Zulay Montiel Barranco * Alejandro Corona as Etcétera * Jessica Grau as Marugenia "Maru" Torrealba * Yván Romero as Kenny G * María Cristina Lozada as Consuelo * Carlos Villamizar as Robinson Sánchez * Freddy Galavís as Ismael Lobo * Mirtha Borges as Bertha * Pedro Durán as Cafecito * Humberto García as Fausto * Martín Lantigua as Tobías *

Jean Paul Leroux Jean-Paul Leroux (born January 7, 1976) is a Venezuelan film actor. His career started in small roles in theater, but his true career started in the critically acclaimed movie '' Secuestro Express'' in 2005, along with Argentine actress Mía Maest ...

as Jerry Colón * Anastasia Mazzone as Kimberly Mercado * Laureano Olivares as Julio Augusto Sánchez * Susej Vera as Valentina * Josemith Bermúdez as Tiki * Antonio Delli as Gonzalo Venturini * Erika Pacheco as Vera * Adriana Romero as Yamilé * Paula Woyzechowsky as Rosita * David Garcés as Ricardo * Simón Rojas as Cheo

Special participation

* Carlos Montilla as Darwin Manuel

Special guest stars

Sandra Hernández Sandra Hernández Rodríguez (born 25 May 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Granadilla in the Spanish 1st Division. Club career Barcelona As a youngster Hernández played futsal with both boys ...

* José Luis Zuleta

References

{{Venevisión telenovelas in 2000-2019 2006 telenovelas Venevisión telenovelas 2006 Venezuelan television series debuts 2007 Venezuelan television series endings Spanish-language telenovelas Television shows set in Caracas