Last Saturday, November 16, 2024, the 73rd edition of the Miss Universe pageant took place in Mexico City. The event was hosted by Olivia Culpo (Miss Universe 2012, from the United States) and Mario López, with commentary by Catriona Gray (Miss Universe 2018, from the Philippines) and Zuri Hall. A total of 125 contestants from various countries and regions walked the stage of the Mexico Arena CDMX. In the weeks leading up to the event, the contestants visited many of Mexico’s tourist attractions, such as Guadalajara, Mérida, Teotihuacán, and the Day of the Dead festivities.
Among the 125 delegates, many countries and regions participated for the first time or returned to the competition after decades of absence. Notably, this year featured two contestants from the French island of Guadeloupe: Indira Ampirot representing France, and Coraly Desplan representing Guadeloupe as an independent entity. In addition to that, the contestant from Venezuela says she has a daughter named Guadalupe (¿?) and I also found it amusing to hear Catriona Gray pronounce “Guadalupe” because of this screenshot from my Instagram stories in 2021 which also features Natalia Martín, the composer of the beautiful march “Soledad, saeta carcelera” for the coronation of the Virgin of Solitude. (oh, don’t look for me on Instagram, I deleted my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts in October 2021). The Virgin of Guadalupe is the national patron saint of Mexico.
The event included performances by Richaelio, Los Mariachi, and Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas during the introduction; Robin Thicke during the evening gown segment; Nico Ruiz for the “Final Look”; and Vikina after the crowning. A peculiar piece of music, seemingly with an Indian vibe, played during the swimsuit segment, featuring a clear rendition of «Ave María llena eres de gracia» (“Hail Mary full of grace”) (¿¿¿¿????).
And there were candles—lots and lots of candles:
The “Final Look”:
The Crowning Moment
The winner was Victoria Kjær Theilvig from Denmark, who was crowned by her predecessor, Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua.
Full show:
The previous edition of Miss Universe was held in El Salvador.
Related posts:
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Miss Universe 2022 in Saint Joan of Arc Parade
Miss Universe 2023 in magical El Salvador
This year Miss Universe Spain
Alhambra of Granada, beautiful panorama
Flamenco in Miss France 2024
Fair of Marchena 2024
Virgin of Remedies, Marchena 2024