It was the night of May 21, 1993 in Puerto Rico Dayanara Torres was placed among the ten finalists of the competition miss universe in the National Auditorium of Mexico.
In the competition, she finished fifth in the standings, since at that point the jury’s rating was released during the broadcast. Seated in the auditorium alongside the former beauty queen’s family were three other Puerto Ricans, Javier Ríos, Víctor Mercado and Miguel Deliz, who watched with racing hearts, hoping that the Toalteña, whom they had met at an audition at the Maso The Rivera Theater in Toa Alta will delight the jury as much as she does.
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Ríos and Mercado were the ones who spotted the blue-eyed young woman who took over the world that night by being crowned the most beautiful woman at Miss Universe 1993. Both became the promoters of Dayanara and were responsible for the young woman’s overall preparation. who attracted attention at beauty pageants without any experience. Dayanara was 17 years old and Toa Alta was the immediate environment that the young woman knew.
Deliz, who is now National Director of Miss Universe Spain and Nuestra Belleza Puerto Rico beauty pageant, attended the international beauty pageant for the first time to support Dayanara and her promoter friends. It was his first trip outside of the United States and he remembers in great detail what he calls the happiest night of his life.
The story of Cinderella relates to the mother’s story of the two children Cristian Anthony and Ryan Anthony Muñiz Torres, the result of her ex-marriage to the singer MarkAnthony, It applies perfectly to the life of our third universal queen.
The actress and presenter dreamed of being a queen since she was a child and she realized it in an unexpected way, because the truth is that 30 years after her victory Dayanara continues to be an eternal queen in the hearts of Puerto Ricans. Her humility, closeness, knowledge of human nature, transparency and smile that she kept even in difficult situations where we saw her cry and face them bravely, have made her one of the most popular queens celebrated by all Puerto Ricans.
Dayanara was diagnosed with stage three skin cancer in 2019, received treatment and is an active advocate for disease prevention. Today you can proclaim that you are disease free. After years of living in Los Angeles, she settled in Miami, where she resumed her career as a TV presenter on the Univision show “El Gordo y La Flaca” and in love with her partner, Brazilian producer El, a experienced a new stage Marcelo Gama.
This week, the former Miss Universe returns to her home country to celebrate with her people that on a day like today, three decades ago, the world came to know Puerto Rico through her eyes, humility and spontaneity on the universal competition stage. The 48-year-old mother couldn’t get to the island sooner because her son Cristian was graduating in New York this weekend.
The third Puerto Rican to receive the universal crown will hold several tributes at the fort and in the community of Toa Alta, with a grand celebration on Sunday, May 28 in the community’s public square.
From Toa Alta to Universal Night
Ríos, who was then a beauty queen promoter and worked in the Toa Alta community, told El Nuevo Día how Dayanara was discovered almost 31 years ago.
“I don’t remember the audition very well. I know it was one of the teenage competitions and Dayanara came to one of those auditions. Amador Colón (Toa Alta community leader) called us and said, “I have a girl you should visit because she has to go to Miss Puerto Rico pageant.” I remember it was a Sunday. Victor and I saw it and were blown away by the potential we knew. We interviewed them and started preparing them. We went to his parents’ house. It was a very humble home as this family took care of their children’s education, which was always the top priority for Dayanara’s parents. We spoke to her parents to let them know it was something serious and started classes to prepare them for Miss Puerto Rico. We help her along with many anonymous people in catwalk courses, diction, weekly meetings, jury interview exercises, in short, everything. The other key player in Dayanara’s preparation was Magali Febles. She enjoys absolute recognition. “Miss Puerto Rico wins and then the preparation was more rigorous until that final night,” said Ríos, who was one of the first people to hug the former queen as the universal crown was presented.
With all the preparation, Ríos stressed that there was something that only belonged to the former beauty queen. It’s about the innocence with which he accepted all challenges in and out of competition, coupled with the “discipline he always had”.
Ríos came to work with other Puerto Rican officials such as Desirée Lowry, Ana Rosa Brito, Denise Quiñones and Zoribel Fonalledas, among others. He stressed that Dayanara possessed an incredible maturity to adapt to anything that was asked of her despite being only 17 years old and that she did so “with a lot of discipline”.
Dayanara Torres represented Toa Alta in the Puerto Rican national competition. (included)
“She got sick in competition, I don’t remember exactly what happened to her, but she reduced to size zero. We had to find another dress for the mini interview on stage at the last minute. Our goal was for her to be one of the finalists. We’ve always seen the potential, but this year there were spectacular women. That night she went to Disney’s Tinker Bell. There was something magical, something that made you say, “Wow, she’s Cinderella and she’s staying that way.” It was the innocence she exuded, and as a woman she is today, with all her maturity, she still is has an innocence all her own. Dayanara admits that the competition changed her life, but I think that she was the one who changed her destiny,” added Ríos, who now dedicates herself to the Florida banking sector.
Ríos and Deliz agree that the night was magical and that Dayanara won the competition as a transparent, humble and sincere young woman.
“I remember that she was the smallest of the three finalists, Venezuela, Colombia and Puerto Rico. Competitions have changed a lot, and back then the results were averaged. Among the ten finalists, Dayanara finished fifth. When he came in at three, we were about to faint. I felt like we had already won because we didn’t have a finalist after that Deborah Carthy-Deu wins the crown in 1985. When they wanted to name the second finalist, some people behind said, “Puerto Rico,” and the name that was later heard was Venezuela. My heart would explode and when I won I felt like I was going to pass out. It was incredible,” recalled Deliz, national director of the Nuestra Belleza Puerto Rico pageant, which selects queens for three pageants: Miss Supranational Puerto Rico, Miss International Puerto Rico and Miss Grand Puerto Rico.
Deliz explained that Dayanara She was the first beauty queen to make millions in profits for the Miss Universe franchise with all cosmetics and beauty houses in her year of reign. With her, the competition began to develop further, and thanks to the fact that she won the title in the Philippines, Asians began to take an interest in international competition.
“For me, Miss Universe and the competitions are a before and after of Dayanara. The beauty pageants in Puerto Rico were full of girls. I remember the following year and two years later there were almost 70 candidates. On the Puerto Rico level, Dayanara returned the illusion of a city. She never fails to shine and has a look that goes beyond the heart, despite the difficult moments she has had to go through. “Plus, she is and will always be a real mom,” Deliz said.
For the current Miss Universe Puerto Rico (MUPR) franchise owner: Yizette Cifredo, Dayanara’s triumph, made visible the opportunity for every young person, regardless of their social class or economic resources, to take part in the competition.
“Without a doubt, Dayanara Torres’ triumph on May 21, 1993 was outstanding, not only for the career of a young woman from the city of Toa Alta, but also for the careers of many young women from humble backgrounds who did not believe that this could be the case it is possible to achieve so much reach through a competition. Seeing other people achieve goals in similar circumstances as ours gives us hope, and Dayanara gave us that,” said Cifredo, who has served as director of MUPR for the past two years.
After her triumph, Dayanara Torres greets the fans who gave her a warm welcome to the island. (GFR Media Historical Archive)
Similarly, the spokesperson emphasized that Dayanara’s performance both inside and outside the competition has illustrated that the Miss Universe pageant is an endless platform of opportunities for those who take part.
“She was a very young queen with little experience and knowledge of the industry who, thanks to the beauty pageant, managed to make a long career as an actress, then as a singer and presenter. In other words, Dayanara was one of the queens who best demonstrated the power of the Miss Universe platform and what a luxury it was to wear the Puerto Rican flag with such pride,” she added.
Cifredo is one of those who believe Dayanara brought new vigor and radiance to beauty pageants and was an excellent ambassador for Puerto Rico.
“I think this third universal crown has reaffirmed the great power and responsibility of the national ambassador. Puerto Rico is considered a “powerhouse” in the world of beauty pageants. I find it interesting that a large part of the current generation that supports and follows our queens witnessed this Dayanara coronation. “Our people are much more interested and demanding of the woman who wears the island on her breast,” he said.
The Eternal Linda Sara
Capitalizing on the reach that winning the Universal Crown gave her, the ‘El Gordo y la Flaca Univision’ host made a name for herself in local cinema by starring in the 1995 film ‘Linda Sara’ by Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales. .
Chayanne and Dayanara Torres in Linda Sara. (Archive)
The playwright recalled that he had a real intuition when he chose Dayanara to star in the 1994 film “Linda Sara,” because when he met the ex-queen, he discovered that he was in front of a real, transparent person with inner beauty was… consistent with what she represented as the universal queen.
“Dayanara represented something very special because it wasn’t just beauty and beauty on the outside. It was the beauty of a person with a great human quality. Also that she behaved so naturally because she presented herself as she is. Her looks were consistent with what portrayed her as the great beauty she would perform in and win the competition. First of all, the person I captured in the interviews, in the photos, in the competition… I found that person when I had the opportunity to work with her. Dayanara was exactly the person I felt in her and she was the person I found working with her,” Morales said.
The veteran film director made the feature film in 1994. From then on, he described how working with Dayanara and the singer Chayanne was one of the experiences he cherished because he was surprised to work with two professionals, even though cinema wasn’t his specialty They accepted the challenge and met it with honors.
“Dayanara had an extraordinary intuition, because it wasn’t just about showing up and more or less following my instructions. She contributed with her reactions. It was an authentic interpretation he made of the character and based on small details that are important in cinematography, he projected the dimension of this character (Sara) and greatly expanded it. Together with Chayanne, who also gave me a great performance, I was completely satisfied with both of them. He excelled as an actor and was a great partner too. “They were both excellent,” affirmed the filmmaker.
After receiving the Miss Universe crown, Dayanara took part in the Puerto Rican film Linda Sara, directed by Jacobo Morales. (Photo: File)
Like the rest of Puerto Ricans, the fellow actor saw that after Dayanara’s triumph at Miss Universe, the number of girls entering beauty pageants increased. Culturally, there are five universal queens in Puerto Rico: the deceased Marisol Malaret, Deborah Carthy-Deu, Dayanara Torres, Denise Quiñones and Zuleyka Rivera, Every time a young woman dons our star-studded monosuit to represent the island to the world, beauty pageants rejoice in great patriotic sentiments.
“Beauty pageants are already part of our culture. The fact that it starts with looks and beauty doesn’t mean it negates everything else. (In the competitions) a people’s sense of belonging is also expressed and how national pride, pride in our identity, is provoked and encouraged. It also contributes in all of those aspects and more when the participating candidate is projecting something that goes beyond the mere depiction of beauty, but rather has a human quality,” the film director pointed out.
In the coming days, the universal ex-queen will rekindle the love and affection of her people in her home country by remembering that for the past 30 years she has dressed in the Puerto Rican flag wherever she goes.
Cover of El Nuevo Día from Saturday May 22, 1993, looking back at Dayanara Torres’ historic triumph in Miss Universe: The Fairest One in the Universe. (Historical archive of GFR Media) Dayanara signed the poster published on Sunday May 23, 1993 in the central pages of El Nuevo Día. (Historical archive of GFR Media) In 1993, Dayanara Torres became the most beautiful woman in the universe by winning the International Miss Universe pageant at the National Auditorium in Mexico City. (GFR Media Historical Archive) The beauty queen hugs her mother Lucy Delgado upon arrival on the island. (GFR Media Historical Archive) After her triumph, Dayanara claimed that she was a young woman from a humble background. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Puerto Ricans welcomed Miss Universe 1993 with banners, some of which read, “The Really Good Ones.” (GFR Media Historical Archive) On that night of May 21, 1993, Dayanara sat down against the representatives of Colombia (Paula Betancur) and Venezuela’s (Milka Chulina), who were first and second finalists respectively. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Such was the admiration for the beauty queen that some put up banners in their path with messages urging them to get in touch with her. (GFR Media Historical Archive) “Oh, what a thrill, my god!” was one of the beauty’s expressions when she asked him immediately after her triumph. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Dayanara thanks the Puerto Rican people for their support and affection during his participation and following his triumph at the Miss Universe pageant. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Dayanara sees for the first time the cover of the newspaper El Nuevo Día, which describes her victory as the most beautiful in the universe. (GFR Media Historical Archive) During his journey from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport on Isla Verde to Old San Juan, Dayanara met the love of thousands of Puerto Ricans. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Among those who received Dayanara when she first arrived in Puerto Rico after her triumph were her parents. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Stylist Magali Febles helps Dayanara prepare her flight to Puerto Rico for her reception. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Upon arrival in Puerto Rico, Dayanara was received in a float along the country’s main thoroughfares. (GFR Media Historical Archive) The Puerto Rican won the competition at the age of 19 and had measurements of 34-23-26 at the time. (GFR Media Historical Archive) The former beauty queen was distinguished by elegance and good taste in dress throughout her reign. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Dayanara has always been distinguished by her gift for people and her connection to the Puerto Rican people. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Dayanara Torres was welcomed by family, the press and government officials in June 1993 after her triumph in Puerto Rico. (GFR Media Historical Archive) Dayanara began her reign by promoting the prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). (GFR Media Historical Archive) At most of the large receptions Dayanara has had in Puerto Rico, the monostar waved as a symbol of gratitude. (GFR Media Historical Archive) The crowd gathered to celebrate the triumph of the third Puerto Rican Miss Universe at an event that took place on May 21, 1993 and had an audience of 600 million. (GFR Media Historical Archive) The beauty receives a kiss from her parents Lucy Delgado and José Torres (RIP). (GFR Media Historical Archive) The people of Toa Alta (hometown of Dayanara Torres) proudly celebrated the triumph of their compueblana. (GFR Media Historical Archive) The monostar didn’t miss the reception people gave Dayanara when she returned to Puerto Rico after winning Miss Universe. Then she would leave to begin fulfilling her obligations as the ruler of universal beauty. (GFR Media Historical Archive) On a float filled with flowers, Dayanara greeted thousands of fans at her reception on the island. (GFR Media Historical Archive) On May 10, 1994, Dayanara crowned her successor Sushmita Sen of India as Miss Universe 1994 in Pasay, Philippines. (GFR Media Historical Archive)