Victoria Montoya Cannon
Played by LINDA CRISTAL
Victoria Montoya Cannon
Played by LINDA
CRISTAL
Victoria
Montoya,
born in the 1840's, was Don Sebastian Montoya's only daughter. She was Don
Sebastian's treasure and grew up in Sonora, Mexico, against a backdrop of wealth
and privilege. Her father did not inherit his wealth, however; he
carved The Rancho Montoya out of the wilderness with "his own two
hands" and was no stranger to hard work. His son, Manolo, was
Victoria's younger brother and known to be lazy and shiftless ... yet he could be tough
when the occasion called for it. Very little is known of Victoria's mother, but
we know that she was alive at least until Victoria's 18th birthday, when she
gifted her with the jewel-encrusted necklace her own mother had given to her.
These people were Victoria's strongest influences during her upbringing and,
while she did not grow up spoiled, she did mature into a stubborn, often
headstrong young woman.
Victoria's extraordinary beauty -- highlighted by her lithe figure, flowing jet
black hair and angelic face -- made her an excellent marital prospect (not to
mention her breeding and fortune). But Victoria, according to her father,
"had a mind like a wild horse," and would not marry just anyone.
She wanted a man even stronger than her own father and discarded suitor after
suitor. Don Sebastian feared that Victoria was passing the age where girls
in Mexico were married, and Manolito began referring to her as his "old
maid sister."
When John Cannon and his brother Buck visited the Rancho Montoya for the first
time, Victoria was introduced to them at dinner. Mano had earlier
stolen John's horse and given it to Victoria as a gift, so Victoria's first
comment to John was that she would be happy to return the present. John
immediately impressed her with his gallantry by graciously asking that she keep
it. She then asked him what brought him to their country, and John --
normally not a conversationalist -- launched into his mission to settle in
Arizona and live peacefully among the Apaches. Victoria clearly admired
him, sensing him to be a strong, powerful man.
Don Sebastian wished for Victoria to enter into an arranged marriage with John
Cannon to safeguard their new treaty, and Victoria readily accepted. John
was under the impression, early in their marriage, that Victoria was only acting
upon her father's wishes ... but it became clear, only a short time later, that
she had really married him for love. When she turned her back on Sonora,
she turned her back on her life as a princess and threw herself into the more
challenging role of a settler's wife. She was ready to pick up a gun and fight ... she was capable of nursing any injured cowboy or
Apache who bled onto her living room floor ... she was ready to roll up her
sleeves and do whatever was needed. What she didn't count on, though, was that
her "love at first sight" for John would be unrequited for some time. John
was still grieving for his first wife and had no room in his heart for Victoria.
Yet Victoria had faith and stayed on .... telling her bewildered brother, who
had accompanied her to High Chaparral, that someday John Cannon would love her
as much as she loved him. Mano was very close to his sister, both in
age and affection, and could not understand what force drove Victoria to stay at
High Chaparral.
Victoria's faith did not go unrewarded. John found it difficult to let go
of Annalee, but eventually his new wife taught the stoic, hardened man how to
love again. Every trial they faced seemed to gradually bring them closer
together ... and when Victoria was critically injured by a horse, John was
willing to risk everything - including the ranch - to save her.
Victoria's only sadness was that her marriage to John failed to bring children.
Yet there were compensations ... the main ones being John, Blue, and Buck.
Blue, John's son, was extremely reluctant to accept Victoria as a mother figure,
but Victoria gradually wore him down. She appealed to the sensitive, noble and
poetic side of Blue, and he couldn't help responding favorably to her. The
day Blue accepted an expensive birthday gift from her - a silver Mexican saddle
- was the day she knew she had won his love. Buck, John's brother,
was another man who couldn't help loving Victoria. Early in her marriage
to John, Buck witnessed Victoria's struggles with her new husband and he reached
out to her in friendship. It was clear that Buck, in his own way, loved
Victoria greatly .... and Victoria always kept a special place in her heart for
her brother-in-law.
It was easy to see why Victoria Montoya Cannon was so widely adored. She
was courageous and often stubborn, but she brought a sense of beauty and
elegance into the male Chaparral household. Unlike Annalee, who only
pretended to dream John's dream, Victoria did share his dream and chose
to live a life of hardship and danger over a life of comfort. She could
have, according to Mano, "lived in a castle and had everything," but
this would have been no life for Victoria. She was the one woman
strong enough to help John Cannon build a ranch for his family and a future for
his son. Given the deep love that grew between Victoria and her husband
... and all they accomplished together .... It's apparent that their marriage
was "arranged" by a much higher authority than her father!
(By Brenda Meskunas)
From "The Lost Ones"
See the Guide to Character Weight to determine in which episodes Victoria had major or minor roles.
