In front of a huge and partisan crowd in San Pedro, “La Isla Bonita,” Miss Belize, Maria Jeffery, who recently represented the country at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico, won the Reina de La Costa Maya 2007.
The first runner up was Miss Mexico, Isis Barrera, who also won the national costume segment with her elegant and elaborate representation of the Maya. The second runner up was Miss Nicaragua.
Costa Maya Festival 2007 began with a spectacular La Reina de La Costa Maya Pageant opening with a dance and presentation of the 2007 delegates of the pageant, which began the four-day festivities.
The 6 delegates were Miss Belize, Maria Jeffery; Miss El Salvador, Marta Elena Martinez Vidal; Miss Guatemala, Marie Jose Zavala Orellana; Miss Honduras, Saida Telina Centeno Martinez; Miss Mexico, Isis Amor Barrera Correa; and Miss Nicaragua, Daila Lacayo Sequeira. The delegates competed in national costume, swimsuit, evening gown, and final interview segments.
The judges for the pageant on Thursday night were Mr. Arlando Smith, director/producer who has worked in the entertainment field in the USA and is now retired in Belize; Mrs. Vanya Diane Nunez, who represented Belize at La Reina de La Costa Maya in 1999; Ms. Melanie Paz, who played a great role in tourism development in San Pedro and is an extraordinary community worker; Mr. David Gegg, CEO of Discovery Expeditions in the tourism industry; and Mr. Miguel Angel Trinidad, Argentina-born and presently a director of the Special Mission of the OAS in the Adjacency Zone between Belize and Guatemala.
Entertainers for the evening were Felicita Arzu, Miss Belize World, the San Pedro Dance Company, Natalie Arceo, Young Soldier, and Take the Lead Dance Group, with DNA wrapping up the night party.
The hosts were Maria Jose Rosado, Canal 2 SIPSE TELEVISA; and Lillian Villanueva of TV Mundo Maya, Q. Roo.
The contestants’ coordinator was Ms. Leilah Pandy, and the translator was Mary Gonzalez.