María Isabel Arrieta Gálvez or Maribel Arrieta (August 22, 1934 – August 31, 1989) was a

Salvadoran Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvado ...

beauty queen where she represented her country at

Miss Universe 1955 Miss Universe 1955, the 4th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 22 July 1955 at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States, with 33 female competitors. This was the first Miss Universe pageant to be aired on televis ...

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. Arrieta is most known for her strong resemblance to

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, leading people to dub her as "the Marilyn Monroe of El Salvador". Arrieta ultimately finished as first runner-up, losing to

Hillevi Rombin Hillevi Rombin Schine (September 14, 1933 – June 19, 1996) was a Swedish actress and beauty queen who was crowned as Miss Sweden and is the fourth winner of Miss Universe in 1955. She was crowned Miss Sweden Universe 1955 by Miss Sweden Uni ...

, but not before taking home the title of "Miss Congeniality". She is the first Hispanic woman to become first-runner up in the Miss Universe pageant.

Early life

Born in

San Salvador, El Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital ...

to a high-class family of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

descent, Arrieta went to school at "La Asunción de Santa Ana" in

Santa Ana, El Salvador Santa Ana () is the second largest city in El Salvador, after the capital of San Salvador. It is located 64 kilometers northwest of San Salvador, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 374,830 (2017)) inhabitants and serves both as the c ...

; a Catholic, private school for the elite. She then went to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

at the age of 16 before returning to El Salvador. Arrieta is the second cousin of

Roberto D'Aubuisson Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta (23 August 1943 – 20 February 1992) was a Neo-fascism, neo-fascist Salvadoran soldier, politician and Death squads in El Salvador, death squad leader. In 1981, he co-founded and became the first leader of the ...

, founder of the right-wing party

ARENA An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

Miss Universe 1955

In the Miss Universe 1955 pageant, Arrieta became the first, and so far, the only, Salvadoran contestant to reach the top 5; finishing as first-runner up. After Miss Universe, Arrieta starred in a Mexican film called "Nos veremos en el cielo" ("We'll meet in heaven"), marking the first, and the last time she appeared in a movie.

Later life

Arrieta returned to El Salvador in 1956, where the President at the time,

Óscar Osorio Óscar Osorio Hernández (December 14, 1910 – March 6, 1969) ruled as a member of the Revolutionary Council of Government from December 14, 1948 to September 14, 1950. He was President of El Salvador from September 14, 1950 until Septemb ...

made her the Ambassador to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. While at Belgium, Arrieta met Baron Jacques Thuret (of Belgian/French nobility) and they were married in 1963, granting her the title "Baronesa de Thuret". The couple had 3 children; two boys (Henry Francois and Tanguy) and one girl (Ariane). Arrieta then began focusing on her artwork, which was showcased in various cities in Europe. Arrieta was one of the judges in

Miss Universe 1975 Miss Universe 1975, the 24th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 19 July 1975 at the Gimnasio Nacional José Adolfo Pineda, National Gymnasium in San Salvador, El Salvador. Anne Marie Pohtamo won the title for Finland, thus making her the second ...

, when the organization was invited by the Salvadoran Government. In her last visit to her home country in 1985, Arrieta was awarded the "Orden Pro Merito Melitensi" from the Order of Malta in El Salvador for her contributions to the country. Arrieta died on August 31, 1989 from cancer.

References

Maribel Arrieta la diplomática más hermosa del mundo (Maribel Arrieta, the most beautiful dipolmat in the world)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrieta, Maribel 1934 births 1989 deaths Miss Universe 1955 contestants People from San Salvador Recipients of the Order pro Merito Melitensi Salvadoran expatriates in the United States