Paloma Delia Margarita Cordero Tapia, known as Paloma Cordero, (February 21, 1937 – May 11, 2020) was the

First Lady of Mexico First Lady of Mexico ( es, Primera Dama de México), also known as First Lady of the United Mexican States ( es, Primera Dama de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the unofficial title of the wife of the president of Mexico. Beatriz Gutiérrez Mül ...

from 1982 to 1988 during the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

of her husband,

Miguel de la Madrid Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (; 12 December 1934 – 1 April 2012) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 59th president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988. Inheriting a severe economic an ...

. Cordero also headed the

National System for Integral Family Development The National System for Integral Family Development ( es, Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, links=no; SNDIF or just DIF) is a Mexican public institution of social assistance that focuses on strengthening and developing th ...

(DIF) during her tenure.

Biography

Cordero was born in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

on February 21, 1937. She was the daughter of Luis Cordero Bustamante, a lawyer, and Delia Tapia Labardini. Cordero was raised in the

Colonia Hipódromo Condesa Condesa or La Condesa is an area in the Cuauhtémoc Borough of Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous cit ...

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

of Mexico City. In 1953, Cordero's older brother introduced her to

. The couple began dating in 1955, when De La Madrid was a fourth year of law school. The couple married in 1959 in a Catholic ceremony at the Santa Rosa de Lima Church in

Cuauhtémoc Cuauhtémoc (, ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler (''tlatoani'') of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, making him the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle" ...

. Their marriage produced five children - Margarita, Miguel, Enrique Octavio, Federico Luis and Gerardo Antonio. In addition to the normal protocols and tours expected of for the national first lady, Cordero also headed the

(DIF), a public social service agency, and the National Volunteer Service organization. Under Cordero, the DIF expanded to include new programs offering drug rehabilitation, protection for abused minors, services for the blind and disabled, and aid to law enforcement. Cordero also oversaw the construction of new shelters, child development and recreational centers, and food processing facilities through DIF. New technical training programs were also added to DIF's outreach services. Paloma Cordero died on May 11, 2020, at the age of 83. She was survived by her five children, Margarita, Miguel, Enrique Octavio, Federico Luis, Gerardo Antonio; and six grandchildren: Luis Javier, Pablo, María, Isabel, Miguel, Fabiana and Amelia. Her husband, Miguel de la Madrid, died in 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Paloma 1937 births 2020 deaths First Ladies of Mexico People from Mexico City