30 years of Reina Hispanoamericana: an exclusive interview with Gloria de Limpias

She welcomed us for this interview at the Promociones Gloria office, the result of more than 40 years of hard work, producing the main national beauty contest in Bolivia and the main regional beauty contest in the Americas. In the place where she works with her daughters and grandchildren, Gloria de Limpias proudly shows the walls covered with photos of the Bolivian representatives at Miss Universe and at Miss World since 1979, when she assumed this responsibility. In addition to photos of the winners of the contests promoted by her company, there are portraits of Mrs. de Limpias alongside world personalities such as Shakira, Chayenne, Donal Trump, and some of Misses Universe and World who visited Bolivia:

“The first Miss Universe we brought to Bolivia was Shawn Weatherly, the American stunner elected in 1980, who later on became an actress. We arrived in Cochabamba and it was covered with flowers and with thousands of people waiting for her to parade in an open car through its streets. But we had a problem! Shawn was very ill that day, unable to participate in the parade. Do you know what I did? I put a blonde model of mine, with the same hairstyle, to wave to the audience with her hand covering her face! Nobody noticed it wasn´t Shawn and soon Miss Universe was feeling better and happy participating in other activities”, tell us the owner of a beauty empire which goes beyond the borders of Bolivia: today she also holds contests in Paraguay, in addition to the international Reina Hispanoamerica, which turns 30 this Saturday.

Shawn Weatherly, Miss Universe 1980, and Gloria Limpias.

“During its first 16 years, the contest was called Reina Sudamericana. There were 10 countries and the original idea was to promote the cultural exchange and promotion of Hispanicity in South America”, she reveals. In the first edition, young ladies who had been at the Miss Universe and other important international competitions ran for the crown. With the consulates of each country joining the pageant, they participated in a local fair exhibiting, showcasing the cuisine and cultural aspects of their countries.

“The first winner was Patrícia Godoi, the Brazilian who had been at the Miss Universe. She was an impressive beauty and a very intelligent woman. Today she is a lawyer and after three decades we still love and admire her”.

Patricia Godoi of Brazil, the first “Reina Sudamericana”, elected in 1991.

The success of the first edition ensured that the contest remained firm, each year with an original production and always taking the participants to different tourist spots in Bolivia. "To date, the contest is one of the most important platforms for promoting Bolivian tourism, bringing together the most beautiful Hispanic women in a country that has such diversity when it comes to its cities, natural sightseeings and culture."

In 2006, it was the last time the contest took place as Reina Sudamericana. It was time to expand and that was when they decided to change the pageant´s name to Reina Hispanoamericana and accept candidates from the rest of the Americas and the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula, and other continents, which has already happened in 2007. The first winner of this new stage came from Dominican Republic, Massiel Taveras.

Massiel Taveras of the Dominican Republic, the first Reina Hispanoamericana (2007), is crowned by Francine Eickemberg (2006), the last Reina Sudamericana.

In the 29 previous editions, Venezuela was the country that won the most titles: 7. It is followed by Brazil, with 5, Colombia (4), Bolivia (3), Ecuador and Paraguay (2 each), Mexico (2 winners, however one was dethroned), Dominican Republic, Philippines, Haiti, Spain and Curaçao (1 each).

Gloria thanks God for the great support that her event has always received from the main media and big Bolivian companies as sponsors. “I believe that the secret to the success of our events is to have always put God ahead of our projects. When we do it and work hard, we see results that fill us with joy”.

De Limpias promises a show of great beauty and surprises in the grand final of the thirtieth edition of Reina Hispanoamericana, which takes place this Saturday, the 30th of October, with the participation of 26 candidates. Mister Supranational 2021, Varo Vargas of Peru, will be a special guest and a judge.

And there's some hot news for the following years! Countries, where Hispanic culture is not necessarily present, will also be able to participate. “We want to take the Hispanic culture to the world, therefore, we open our doors to other countries”, reveals Gloria firsthand. Anyone interested in becoming a national director can get in touch via email, writing to gloria@promocionesgloria.com.

Who will succeed Regina Paredo of Mexico as the 30th Reina Hispanoamericana?

Global Beauties will bring you fill coverage of the final show!!