An indigenous woman has won the contest to be the queen of the Nayarit State Fair for the first time.

Yukaima González, 18, from a Wixárika community in the mountainous municipality of Guadalupe Ocotán, is a second-year in college student majoring in sports and physical culture.

In an interview with the newspaper El Universal, the young beauty pageant winner said she hoped her participation in the contest would inspire her community.

“In my community we are losing our [indigenous] language, and residents are ashamed of wearing their traditional clothing. I’m here so that they’ll feel proud of our roots and who we are.”

González impressed contest judges during a “traditional dress” round with her outfit, which sported intricate bead work and traditional Wixárika god’s eyes. She also made an impression with her proposed social project, which would provide support to Nayarit’s isolated mountain communities to open artisanal bakeries to support self-employment and community well-being.

She was one of 15 contestants from each of Nayarit’s districts, and one of two indigenous women who, for the first time ever, competed in this year’s contest. The second participant was Adriana Díaz López, a Cora indigenous woman from the municipality of Nayer.

In a message on Twitter, state congresswoman Julieta Mejía attributed the young women’s participation to Oaxaca actress Yalitza Aparicio’s lead role in Roma, stating that “Alfonso Cuarón transformed something and there’s no going back.”

Many others shared the congresswoman’s opinion on social media, and during her interview with El Universal, González expressed her admiration for the actress, saying she was proud to have the opportunity as well to represent her community and its culture.

She said that along with the excitement her triumph has generated, she has also received negative comments and messages, but has not let them get in the way of her goals.

“We are all entitled to our opinions, there are positive and negative messages, but I choose to focus on the positive ones because those are the ones that allow me to grow.”

González will preside as queen of the fair from March 7-31 on the grounds of the old Tepic airport.

Source: El Milenio (sp), El Diario (sp)