Is Queen of the South Based on a True Story? Ending Explained

Queen of the South 

Queen of the South is a crime drama TV series created by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller. The show first aired on USA Network on June 23, 2016, and ended on June 9, 2021, after 62 episodes. It is based on the telenovela La Reina del Sur, which is broadcasted on USA’s sister network, Telemundo. Both are adapted from Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s novel La Reina del Sur.  The series was renewed for a fifth season on August 29, 2019, but production was put on hold indefinitely on March 14, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming resumed in the fall of 2020, and on March 8, 2021, it was announced that the fifth season would be the final season of the show, premiering on April 7, 2021.

Is Queen of the South Based on a True Story?

Queen of the South is not a true story, but it is based on real-life events. The series is an adaptation of the Spanish-language telenovela La Reina del Sur, which first premiered in 2011 and is based on Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s novel of the same name. While the novel is a work of fiction, it was inspired by the life of Marllory Chacón, a Guatemalan-born drug lord who ran a successful cocaine empire through Colombian and Mexican cartels.

She earned the nickname “Queen of the South” before being caught and sentenced to 12 years in prison for drug trafficking in 2015. Her sentence was later reduced to five years and she was eventually released just five days after the final decision. Therefore, Queen of the South is loosely based on the life of Marllory Chacón.

Who is Queen of the South Based on?

Queen of the South is based on the book of the same name by Arturo Perez-Reverte, which was also adapted into a Spanish-language telenovela before the English-language series was produced. While the book was inspired by real-life events involving drug trafficking, the plot itself is a work of fiction and not a true story. However, Alice Braga, the actress who portrays the show’s main character Teresa, has stated that she drew inspiration from real-life stories of women who had to overcome significant obstacles to become successful in male-dominated industries.

Is Queen of the South a Real Story?

No, Queen of the South is not a real story. It is based on a novel of the same name written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, who drew inspiration from his experiences as a war correspondent and the women he encountered during his time in conflict zones.  While creating the character of Teresa, he incorporated the key qualities he noticed in these women, along with his knowledge of the workings and violence of the drug world. Although he did not base Teresa’s character on a specific person, she does share some similarities with real women who have gained notoriety in the drug trafficking business. Nonetheless, the story itself is a work of fiction.

Queen of the South Plot

Queen of the South follows the story of Teresa Mendoza, a poor Mexican woman living in the barrio of Culiacán in Sinaloa, Mexico. After falling in love with a member of a drug cartel, her life takes a dangerous turn when she is forced to flee across the border to the United States, leaving behind her former life and boyfriend. In the US, Teresa becomes involved with the criminal organization of the wife of a cartel boss who is after her. However, Teresa has a different vision of the drug distribution business and uses her charisma to attract associates and start her own drug distribution organization.  As she becomes more successful, Teresa must navigate through various obstacles, make difficult sacrifices, and even face the attention of covert government forces. Throughout the series, Teresa’s rise to power and struggles to maintain it are explored, along with the dangerous world of drug trafficking and the personal relationships that are affected by it.

Queen of the South Ending Explained

In the finale of “Queen of the South,” Teresa and James are shown together and in love. Pote and Kelly Ann are also reunited with their daughter Lena, and everything is peaceful and happy. However, the show also addresses the duality of Teresa’s character, with the emotionless and focused version of herself appearing in a white outfit throughout the series. This vision of Teresa appears in important moments to remind her of what she has gone through and what she has become.

Although the series reveals that Teresa does not die from a bullet wound, the voiceover explains the symbolic death of her money-obsessed persona. Teresa declares that she was the one who killed that version of herself, a “money changer from Culiacán” who defied all odds to survive. Despite being told that prison or death were her only options, she chose life.

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