La India Maria Died

Maria Elena Velasco Fragoso was a Mexican actress, comedienne, singer-songwriter, dancer, screenwriter, film producer, and one of Mexico's few major female film directors.

Beloved Mexican film and television actress Maria Elena Velasco, better known as "La India Maria," died on Friday. She was 74.Velasco appeared in dozens of films and television series over a career that spanned more than four decades. She is best known as La India Maria, a slapstick comedy character based on a stereotypical Mexican indigenous woman.

Her last film was La hija del Moctezuma (Moctezuma's Daughter), an adventure comedy in which a bumbling India Maria must save Mexico from destruction. Velasco's son, Ivan Lipkies, directed the movie, which marked the return of La India Maria to the big screen after a 15-year absence.

Other credits include the action-comedy El coyote emplumado (The Plumed Coyote) and the family comedy La comadrita (The Godmother), done during the height of Velasco's career in the '70s and '80s. Velasco also wrote and produced for television and film.State-run film institute Imcine confirmed news of Velasco's death on Twitter. Local news outlets previously reported that she had been battling stomach cancer, however Imcine did not specify the cause of death.

The Mexican film institute announced through its Twitter account that Velasco, also a screenwriter and director, died Friday, but did not specify the cause.Velasco's "La India Maria," which exaggerated stereotypes about Mexico's indigenous people, became one of the most recognizable characters in Mexican film, dressed in colorful blouses and full skirts with her hair in braids.

"La India Maria," often accompanied by her faithful donkey "Filemon," sometimes illustrated the journey from her native village to the big city and the inevitable comic situations that followed.Velasco started her career performing on stages in Mexico City. Her popularity eventually carried her to film fame and a long run on television.