María LaGuerta

María LaGuerta
Dexter character
First appearance	Book Series: Darkly Dreaming Dexter TV Series: "Dexter" Pilot episode: Dexter
Last appearance	Book Series: Darkly Dreaming Dexter TV Series: Surprise, Motherfucker!
Created by	Jeff Lindsay
Portrayed by	Lauren Vélez
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Police captain
Spouse(s)	Ángel Batista (ex-husband)
Nationality	Cuban American

Captain María Esperanza del Alma LaGuerta (/ləˈɡwɛərtə/ or /ləˈɡwɜːrtə/; Spanish: María LaGüerta), is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter. The character is known as Migdia LaGuerta in the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which the television series is based. She was portrayed by Lauren Vélez in the television series. She is a lieutenant (and later captain) in the fictitious Miami-Metro Homicide Department, and the superior officer of Dexter and Debra Morgan.

Discussions between LaGuerta and Angel Batista in the first and fourth season give minor insight into LaGuerta's backstory; her family is said to reside entirely in Cuba, and she mentions being alone in a strange land, implying that LaGuerta was sent to live in America on her own.

In the series' beginning, she is introduced as a tough, ambitious woman more skilled in political gamesmanship than at actual police work. She harbors an intense dislike for Debra, At the end of the first season, she is removed from command.

Early in season two, she continues to struggle with her demotion and annoyance with her replacement, Esmee Pascal. She resorts to sleeping with Pascal's fiancee Bertrand, which quickly drives Pascal toward paranoia and instability. The woman's increasingly erratic behavior results in Captain Tom Matthews being forced to take her out of the Lieutenant position and reinstate LaGuerta.

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Wikipedia