María Clara, whose full name is María Clara de los Santos, is the mestiza heroine in Noli me tangere, a novel by José Rizal, the national hero of the Republic of the Philippines. Her name and character has since become a byword in Filipino culture for the traditional, feminine ideal.María Clara is the childhood sweetheart and fiancée of Noli me tangere‍ '​s hero, Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, the son of Don Rafael Ibarra.