Miss Universe 1958 Luz Marina Zuluaga
October 31, 1938 – December 2, 2015
At age 77, Luz Marina Zuluaga, Miss Universe 1958, died in Manizales on December 2. For most of her compatriots, she was the only Colombian Miss Universe they’ve known in their whole life and there is no shortage of adoration towards her. As an inspiring and beloved figure, Luz Marina stood tall among the country’s legendary beauty queens. She was tax exempt for life, a house was built for her by the Colombian government and a postage stamp was issued in her honor.
In January 2015, Luz Marina was seen beaming with pride as she held the La Patria newspaper bearing the headlines that Paulina Vega won the second Miss Universe crown for Colombia. No words could probably describe the joy in Luz Marina’s heart knowing that Colombia finally did what was thought before as an impossibility. There is also little doubt that Paulina Vega drew inspiration from the feat of Luz Marina decades ago.
“If God, for a second, forgot what I have become and granted me a little bit more of life, I would use it to the best of my ability,” so wrote the famous Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez. Indeed, if Miss Universe 1957 Luz Marina Zuluaga had been granted a little bit more of life, she could have inspired and motivated more Colombian beauty queens.
