Isabella García-Manzo was crowned Miss El Salvador on Sunday (July 30). She will now represent her country in the 72nd Annual Miss Universe pageant on November 18, 2023.
García-Manzo, a 20-year-old student studying hospitality, is from the capital city of San Salvador. During the Miss El Salvador pageant, she went up against 13 other contestants, including Fátima Cuellar and Mariana Quintanilla, who joined García-Manzo as the top three finalists.
The 72nd Annual Miss Universe pageant is heading to El Salvador for only the second time in pageant history. The last time the pageant was held in El Salvador was in 1975 for its 24th edition. That year, the pageant broke a record for the most contestants vying for the crown with 71 women participating. Miss Finland, Anne Marie Pohtamo, won the pageant.
Recently, the official Miss Universe social media platforms shared a teaser video for the upcoming event, which will take place on November 18, 2023. In the video, clips of past pageants are shown alongside some of El Salvador’s beautiful landscapes.
The venue or the number of contestants who are participating in this year’s event has not been announced yet. Other Latina contestants who will compete include Estefany Rivero (Bolivia), Maria Brechane (Brazil), Delary Stoffers (Ecuador), Elicena Andrada (Paraguay), Camila Escribens (Peru), and Diana Silva (Venezuela).
This year’s Miss Universe comes with some exciting aspects. The pageant will allow married women and women with children to compete for the title for the first time in 66 years. Also, Miss Netherland, Rikkie Kollé, will be the second transgender woman to compete in the competition after Ángela Ponce in 2018. This will also mark the first time a contestant from Pakistan will participate.