In April 2021, the beautiful model Andrea Meza became the new Miss Universe 2021 during the gala held on the outskirts of Miami. The Mexican was the latest in a long list of beautiful Latin American women who have worn the crown, including Puerto Rican Dayanara Torres, Venezuelan Alicia Machado, and Colombian Paulina Vega. Find out here about all the Latina women who were crowned Miss Universe through the years.
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The first Latin American woman to wear the Miss Universe crown was the Peruvian model Gladys Zender in 1957, a title that has also been held by other beauties such as Mexican Ximena Navarrete in 2010, Dominican Amelia Vega in 2003, Puerto Rican Zuleyka Rivera in in 2006, and Chilean Cecilia Bolocco in 1987.
Gladys Zender was the first Latin American to wear the crown.
Peruvian Gladys Rosa Zender was born on October 19, 1939, in the city of Lima, the capital of Peru. Crowned in 1957, she will forever have the honor of being the first Latina ever to be crowned Miss Universe.
Luz Marina Zuluaga was the first to win for Colombia.
Born on October 31, 1938, in Pereira, Luz Marina only got to compete in Miss Universe 1958 because the woman who was crowned Miss Colombia got married before the Miss Universe competition, and as first runner-up, Luz Marina took her place and won!
Norma Beatriz Nolan was the first winner from Argentina.
Born on April 22, 1938, Norma Beatriz Nolan was the first Argentine Miss Universe. She was crowned in 1962. The competition was held in Miami Beach, Florida, that year, and she was one of 52 contestants.
Iêda Maria Vargas was the first Brazilian Miss Universe.
Born on December 31, 1944, the Brazilian beauty queen and actor was crowned Miss Universe in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1963. She holds the distinction of being the first woman from her country to win the title.
Martha Vasconcellos gave Brazil another win.
Born on June 18, 1948, Martha Vasconcellos won the title of Miss Brazil in 1968 and then went on to win Miss Universe that same year. She beat out 64 contestants and gave Brazil its second win.
Marisol Malaret was the first Boricua to win the contest.
Marisol Malaret Contreras was born in the municipality of Utuado on October 13, 1949, and in 1970 at the age of 21 she became the first Puerto Rican to wear the Miss Universe crown. Later she became a television host, an editor for a fashion magazine, and a businesswoman.
Maritza Sayalero has the honor of being the first Venezuelan crowned.
She was born in the city of Caracas on February 16, 1961, and became the first beauty queen from her country to take home the Miss Universe crown during the gala held in Australia in 1979. In addition to being a model, she also graduated as an architect.
Irene Sáez gave Venezuela another victory in 1981.
The Venezuelan model was born on December 13, 1961, in the municipality of Chacao. She won the title of Miss Universe in the 1981 competition, and years later she leapt into the world of politics. She became mayor of her municipality, governor of the state of Nueva Esparta, and even a candidate for president.
Deborah Carthy-Deu won the crown for Puerto Rico.
Deborah Carthy-Deu was born on January 5, 1966, in the city of San Juan and won the Miss Universe title in 1985 at the gala held in Miami. She subsequently dedicated herself to acting.
Bárbara Palacios won the crown for Venezuela in 1986.
She was born on December 9, 1963, in Madrid but represented Venezuela in the 1986 Miss Universe pageant and took the crown. Years later, she became a personality in the world of television as well as a writer and Christian pastor.
Cecilia Bolocco was the first to win the crown for Chile in 1987.
The Chilean model was born in the city of Santiago on May 19, 1965, and won Miss Universe at the age of 22. Later she had a notable career as a television host, and she became the first lady of Argentina.
Lupita Jones became the first Miss Universe from Mexico.
The Mexican model was born on September 6, 1967, in the city of Mexicali, in the state of Baja California. She won the Miss Universe pageant held in Las Vegas in 1991, becoming the first representative of her country to win the crown.
Dayanara Torres made Puerto Rico very proud in 1993.
The Puerto Rican model was born on October 28, 1974, and won the Miss Universe pageant in 1993. She is one of the most popular and beloved beauty queens today. She was married to the singer Marc Anthony, who is the father of her two sons.
Alicia Machado gave Venezuela its 4th crown.
The Venezuelan model was born on December 6, 1976, in the city of Maracay and won the Miss Universe pageant in 1996 when she was just 19 years old. She was the fourth woman from her country to bring home the title.
Denise Quiñones took the title of Miss Universe on the 50th anniversary of the contest.
The beautiful Puerto Rican model was born on September 9, 1980, in the city of Ponce. In 2001, she won the title of Miss Universe in the 50th edition of the beauty pageant, held in the municipality of Bayamón, on the Isla del Encanto.
Justine Pasek gave Panama its first crown.
The Panamanian model was born on August 27, 1979, and was the first runner-up in 2002, but when Russian model Oxana Fedorova was dethroned for not complying with the rules, Justine got to wear the crown.
Amelia Vega was the first to win for the Dominican Republic.
The beautiful Dominican model was born on November 7, 1984, in the city of Santo Domingo and became the first woman from her country to win the Miss Universe title in the 2003 competition. She is married to NBA star Al Horford, and they have five beautiful children.
Zuleyka Rivera gave Puerto Rico another win in 2006.
Born on October 3, 1987, she won the title of Miss Universe for the Isla del Encanto in 2006. Later, she went on to have a career in television and worked for several years on the show Un Nuevo Día.
Dayana Mendoza won the contest for Venezuela in 2008.
The model was born on June 1, 1986, in the city of Caracas and became the fifth Venezuelan woman to bring home the coveted title of Miss Universe. It had been 12 years since Venezuela had won.
Stefanía Fernández won again for Venezuela in 2009.
Stefanía Fernández was born on September 4, 1990, in the Venezuelan municipality of Mérida and won the Miss Universe pageant in 2009. At that time, it was rumored that she was romantically linked to Donald Trump, although it was never confirmed that they were a couple.
Ximena Navarrete won the crown for Mexico in 2010.
The Mexican model was born on February 22, 1988, and won the title of Miss Universe in 2010. Over the years she has also stood out in the world of television and has made special appearances on some soap operas.
Gabriela Isler won for Venezuela in 2013.
The model was born on March 21, 1988, in the city of Valencia and took the title of Miss Universe in 2013. After her coronation she caused controversy for comments she made on social media against Hugo Chavez, who was the president of Venezuela at the time.
Paulina Vega gave Colombia the victory in 2014.
The Colombian model was born in the city of Medellín on January 15, 1993. She went on to give her country its second win in the Miss Universe pageant that was held in 2014. Since then, she’s worked in television as a host.
Andrea Meza became the third Mexican winner.
Born on August 13, 1994, in Chihuahua, she went on to win the crown on behalf of Mexico for the third time. She studied software engineering at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua and has worked as both a model and a software engineer.
