Luz Marina Zuluaga
Encyclopedia
Luz Marina Zuluaga is a Colombian beauty pageant winner and Miss Universe
1958. She is the only Colombian in history to hold the Miss Universe title.
to an impoverished family. She moved to Manizales
, (Department of Caldas
) as a small child and grew up there. She applied for the Miss Caldas contest, and she won 1957. After her election, controversy arose as many residents of the state thought she shouldn't represent Caldas because she had been born in Pereira, which is in the department of Risaralda
. However, Zuluaga went on with her training towards the Miss Colombia
contest and arrived in Cartagena
, hoping to win the Miss Colombia title.
. As one of the rules of the Miss Universe worldwide franchises is that no candidate can be married before the final contest itself, Santamaria had to abdicate the title, making Zuluaga Miss Colombia by default.
, on July 25, 1958. After Zuluaga was announced as winner and new Miss Universe, most television
and radio
stations in Colombia (as much as seventy-three) stopped their regular programming to report the breaking news
.
Zuluaga was not immediately able to return to her country, as Miss Universe personnel feared for her security because at the time Colombia was going through a period of extreme political volatility. When she eventually returned home, she was welcomed by large crowds both at El Dorado International Airport
in Bogotá
and at Manizales airport.
By now, the citizens of Manizales
had accepted her as if she had been a native of the area. Learning that her family was not well off economically, many citizens collected money, which was used to build a better house for Zuluaga and her family.
doctor and moved to the United States
. In 1966, she returned to Manizales and became involved with the city council as well as with the state's institute of tourism
, of which she eventually became director.
Zuluaga has three sons and a daughter.
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
1958. She is the only Colombian in history to hold the Miss Universe title.
Biography
Zuluaga was born in PereiraPereira, Colombia
Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban...
to an impoverished family. She moved to Manizales
Manizales
Manizales is a city and municipality in central Colombia, capital of Department of Caldas and part of the region of Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano....
, (Department of Caldas
Caldas Department
Caldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It's part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km²...
) as a small child and grew up there. She applied for the Miss Caldas contest, and she won 1957. After her election, controversy arose as many residents of the state thought she shouldn't represent Caldas because she had been born in Pereira, which is in the department of Risaralda
Risaralda Department
Risaralda is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central region of the country and part of the Paisa Region. Its capital is Pereira.It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966...
. However, Zuluaga went on with her training towards the Miss Colombia
Miss Colombia
Señorita Colombia is an annual national beauty contest in Colombia that selects representatives to Miss Universe and Miss International...
contest and arrived in Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
, hoping to win the Miss Colombia title.
Miss Colombia 1957
Zuluaga did not win the contest, finishing First Runner-up instead. However, before the Miss Universe pageant, Miss Colombia 1957, Doris Gil Santamaria, got marriedMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. As one of the rules of the Miss Universe worldwide franchises is that no candidate can be married before the final contest itself, Santamaria had to abdicate the title, making Zuluaga Miss Colombia by default.
Miss Universe
The contest took place in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, on July 25, 1958. After Zuluaga was announced as winner and new Miss Universe, most television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
stations in Colombia (as much as seventy-three) stopped their regular programming to report the breaking news
Breaking news
Breaking news, also known as a special report or news bulletin, is a current event that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming and/or current news in order to report its details. Many times, breaking news is used after the news network has already reported on this story...
.
Zuluaga was not immediately able to return to her country, as Miss Universe personnel feared for her security because at the time Colombia was going through a period of extreme political volatility. When she eventually returned home, she was welcomed by large crowds both at El Dorado International Airport
El Dorado International Airport
El Dorado International Airport is an international airport located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the largest Latin America airport in terms of cargo movements with 593,946 tons and the third in terms of passenger traffic, only behind São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport and Mexico City's...
in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
and at Manizales airport.
By now, the citizens of Manizales
Manizales
Manizales is a city and municipality in central Colombia, capital of Department of Caldas and part of the region of Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano....
had accepted her as if she had been a native of the area. Learning that her family was not well off economically, many citizens collected money, which was used to build a better house for Zuluaga and her family.
Life After Titleholding
After years outside the spotlight, Zuluaga made headlines again when she married a medicalMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
doctor and moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1966, she returned to Manizales and became involved with the city council as well as with the state's institute of tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, of which she eventually became director.
Zuluaga has three sons and a daughter.