Miss Mexico, Andrea Meza, was crowned Miss Universe at the 69th annual pageant on Sunday (May 16).
“Viva Mexico!” host Mario López yelled out as the title came down to two finalists, Miss Mexico and Miss Brazil, Julia Gama. Miss Peru, Janick Maceta Del Castillo was second runner-up.
“I have been dreaming for this moment for years,” Meza told Extra TV after her win. “When [Miss Universe 2019] Zozi [Tunzi]…was putting on the crown, I was like, ‘This is not happening. This is not real.’”
Meza won the competition over 73 other contestants from around the globe. Some of her highlights during the pageant included showing off her colorful alebrije costume during the national costume portion of the show. An alebrije is a mythical creature that was created by artist Pedro Linares in Mexico City in the 1930s. Her costume featured the face of a dragon, bull horns, wings and a horse tail.
In the final question round, Meza was asked how she would’ve handled the COVID-19 pandemic if she was the president of Mexico.
“I believe there is not a perfect way to handle this hard situation,” she said. “However, I believe what I would’ve done was create the lockdown even before everything was that big. We lost so many lives and we can’t afford that. We have to take care of our people.”
If you missed the pageant, here are five things to know about Meza:
Third time's the charm for Meza.
With her victory, Meza became the third Miss Mexico to win the coveted title of Miss Universe. The first was Lupita Jones from Mexicali in 1991 when she beat out 72 other contestants. The second was Ximena Navarrete from Guadalajara in 2010 when she won over 82 other pageant queens. Meza said when Navarette won the title, it inspired her to do the same. “That’s when I realized that Mexican women were able to get to these high places worldwide,” she told Insider. “I used to think we were not capable of doing that.”
She keeps busy.
Meza is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, and has two younger sisters plus what she estimates is about 40 cousins. Meza attended the Autonomous University of Chihuahua and studied software engineering. She graduated in 2017 and started working as a software engineer. She also works as a model and with her hometown’s tourist office where she holds the title of ambassador of tourism.
She's a pageant professional.
If Meza could make a living competing in beauty pageants, she just might. Before winning the title, she was a contestant in Miss World Mexico in 2016, Miss World 2017 and Mexicana Universal 2020. Winning the latter allowed her to represent Mexico at the 2020 Miss Universe contest, which was delayed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She's a good sport in more ways than one.
Meza isn’t shy about showing her athletic side. She can handle a basketball well and can even do a few tricks with it. During the pre-pageant activities at Miss Mexico and Mexicana Universal, she won the sports challenge. She’s also a “good sport” in other ways. During Miss Universe, she says she helped Miss Peru into her evening gown, which she was having trouble putting on herself.
“I know it’s a competition, but you don’t want to be mean or ignore anyone else,” she told Insider. “Just help one another because, at the end, you want to have a good memory about this.”
She cares about important causes.
Along with her work as a software engineer, model and tourism ambassador, Meza works with the Municipal Institute for Women (INMUJERES) in Mexico on issues related to women’s rights. She is also an advocate for body positivity. “For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirit, but in our hearts and the way that we conduct ourselves,” Meza said during the Miss Universe pageant. “Never permit someone to tell you that you’re not valuable.”