Macarena Achaga

Macarena Achaga Figueroa, born March 5, 1992, in Mar del Plata, Argentina, is an Argentine model, actress, singer, and television hostess. She is best known for portraying Valentina Carvajal in the television series Love to Death (Amar a muerte) and for her breakout television debut on the musical series Miss XV.

Raised in Mar del Plata by architect parents, Achaga is the oldest child in her family and has a younger brother named Santiago. She began her modeling career at age 15, traveling weekly from Mar del Plata to Buenos Aires for jobs after signing with Pink Model Management. She later signed with Multitalent Agency and relocated to Buenos Aires at age 18 to further pursue modeling.

As a print model, Achaga worked with Argentine clothing brands such as Sweet Victorians, Doll Fins, and Muaaa, and appeared in magazines including ParaTeens, Código Teen, Joy, and Para Ti. Her modeling work expanded internationally with assignments in Mexico and France, editorial spreads in Cosmopolitan Argentina and InStyle Mexico, and print campaigns for brands including CLOĒ, Tommy Hilfiger, Nescafé Dolce Cafe, Hola magazine, and Banana Republic.

Achaga made her television debut in 2010 co-hosting the Argentine version of MTV Latin America's music show Los 10+ Pedidos. She left the show in 2011 after being cast as the antagonist Leonora Martínez in the Nickelodeon Latin America series Miss XV, which required her to move to Mexico City. As part of the series, she also joined the pop group Eme 15 as its sixth member. The group released the music video for their single "Wonderland" in 2012 and performed together until their final concert in January 2014.

In 2013, Achaga starred as Jenny Parra in Gossip Girl: Acapulco, taking speech lessons to adjust her Argentine accent for the role. She subsequently starred in the short film El Librito Rojo and appeared in the Peruvian feature film Magallanes. Her television career expanded across Latin America with roles in the Chilean historical drama Sitiados, the third season of the Fox Latin America series Cumbia Ninja in Colombia, and the drama series El regreso de Lucas in Peru.

Achaga returned to Mexico City in 2016 to film the series La piloto, though a knee injury led to her departure during the second season. She was also cast in La bella y las bestias. In November 2018, she began portraying Valentina Carvajal in Amar a muerte. The storyline featuring her character and Juliana Valdés, portrayed by Bárbara López, earned the fan nickname "Juliantina" and marked the first significant lesbian storyline in prime-time Mexican television history on Televisa.

In her personal life, Achaga resides in Mexico City and became a vegetarian in 2013. She was in a relationship with actor Sebastian Zurita in 2014, and later confirmed a relationship in 2021 with Juanpa Zurita, whom she met on the set of Luis Miguel: La Serie 2.