Maria Esquival

Maria Esquival is a former citizen of Madrigal, and later a citizen of the Rubble. Maria is related to Diego Esquival, a member of the Rubble Security Council.

Early life
Maria Esquival grew up on the human colony of Madrigal in the 23 Librae system, with her brother Diego Esquival. She was friends with Ignatio Delgado. In 2528, Maria was fourteen and planning her quinceañera. However, the Covenant attacked the planet and her parents sent her aboard a cargo ship evacuating the planet. Maria was among the survivors that fled to the asteroids trailing the nearby gas giant Hesiod. They were hailed by the insurrectionists that were inhabiting a structure inside the asteroids, known as the Rubble. The insurgents provided the survivors refuge in the asteroids.

The Rubble
Now living in the Rubble, Diego took care of Maria and Delgado. In 2535, Maria attended Melko Hollister's funeral in Habitat Oaks Central. She introduced Jacob Keyes to the Rubble when was forced to dock with it, and offered him and the entire crew citizenship in the Rubble. Maria also informed them of the Rubble's history.

During the chaos at the Rubble in 2535, Diego was shot and killed. Since she was his closest relative, Maria took his place temporarily on the Security Council. During the battle, all of the Rubble's citizens were evacuated onto Habitat Exodus and the asteroid fled the system to avoid the incoming Covenant fleet. The asteroid entered slipspace and exited near the human colony of Falaknuma. On the colony, she attended her brother's funeral with Delgado.

Trivia

 * She may have also been close to Ignatio Delgado as she calls him "Nacho", and according to Delgado, she was the only one who knew him when he was a grubby little kid back on Madrigal.
 * When Madrigal was glassed she was planning her quincieñera, a coming-of-age ceremony in Latin American culture held on a girl's fifteenth birthday. This means that she was 14 when Madrigal was glassed. Thus unless she was planning far in advance of her birthday or Madrigal was glassed late in the year there is strong possibility that she was born in 2513 rather than 2514 (as she would have turned 15 in 2528). Additionally, the quincieñera is a Roman Catholic religious ceremony which includes an affirmation of faith, implying that Maria is (or at least was) Catholic.
 * Although Maria was never officially an Insurrectionist, she appears to have acquired some of her brother's Insurrectionist views.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Cole Protocol