The first lady of Mexico () or first gentleman of Mexico () is the informal title held by the spouse of the

president of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

, concurrent with the president's term of office. The position has no legal foundation and was originally started as a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

. However, several holders of the title have taken on ceremonial roles during the presidential tenure of their spouses and have used the position to advocate for various causes.

Jesús María Tarriba Jesús María Tarriba Unger (born 1 September 1962) is a Mexican physicist and financial risk management expert who is the First ladies and gentlemen of Mexico, First Gentleman of Mexico. He is married to the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinba ...

is the current First Gentleman of Mexico as the husband of President

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (born 24 June 1962) is a Mexican politician, energy and climate change scientist, and academic who has served as the 66th president of Mexico since 2024. She is the first woman to hold the office. A member of the Nation ...

Role

The first lady or first gentleman is not an elected position, carries no official duties and brings no salary. Nonetheless, the title holder attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the president. There is a strict taboo against the president's spouse holding outside employment during the president's sexenio. Traditionally, the first lady took an important (ceremonial) post as head of the '' Desarrollo Integral de la Familia'' (DIF) ("Integral Family Development"). However, this did not occur during the Fox administration when First Lady

Marta Sahagún Marta Sahagún (; born Marta María Sahagún Jiménez (10 April 1953) served as the First Lady of Mexico from 2 July 2001, when she married President Vicente Fox, until he left office on 30 November 2006. Her tenure was marked by her outspoken v ...

founded the national philanthropic organization ''Vamos México''.

History

Two first ladies have been active politicians: Martha Sahagún, who married

Vicente Fox Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. After campaigning as a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the Nat ...

during his tenure (2001–2006), had been a party activist and candidate for mayor of

Celaya Celaya (; Otomi: ) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The muni ...

on the PAN party ticket, and was briefly considered a contender for PAN's nomination to run for either the Jefe de Gobierno (Governor of the Federal District) or president in the 2006 election.

Margarita Zavala Margarita Ester Zavala Gómez del Campo (; born on 25 July 1967) is a Mexican lawyer and politician serving as Member of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico), Chamber of Deputies for Mexico City, Mexico City's 10th District since 2021. She is marri ...

, wife of

Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 and 2004. ...

, was a deputy from 2003 to 2006. In the

2018 Mexican general election General elections were held in Mexico on 1 July 2018. Voters elected a new president to serve a six-year term, 128 members of the Senate for six years and 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies for three years. It was one of the largest electio ...

, she was a pre-candidate for the nomination of PAN, and then she briefly ran as an independent.

Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller (sometimes spelled Mueller; born 13 January 1969) is a Mexican writer, journalist, researcher, and the wife of the 65th president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Early life and education Gutiérrez Müller ...

(2018 to 2024), wife of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, abstained from using the title of first lady. She stated it was a "role with no concrete functions or responsibilities." She also said she wanted to "serve Mexico any way she can", and that the title "first lady" is "somewhat classist". Gutiérrez Müller also refused the position as head of the National DIF.

List of first ladies and gentlemen of Mexico

Revolutionary era Post-revolutionary era

Living former first ladies and gentlemen

As of , there are six living former first ladies, as identified below. File:Cecilia Occelli..png,

Cecilia Occelli María Cecilia Yolanda Occelli González, known by Cecilia Occelli, (born 1950) is a Mexican social advocate who served as the First Lady of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. She is the ex-wife of former Mexican President, Carlos Salinas de Gortari. Bio ...

served 1988–1994
born 1949 (age )
ex-wife of

Carlos Salinas de Gortari Carlos Salinas de Gortari (; born 3 April 1948) is a Mexicans, Mexican economist, historían and former politician who served as the 60th president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. Considered the frontman of Mexican Neoliberalism by formulating, p ...

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Nilda Patricia Velasco Nilda Ismael do Nascimento (born 25 March 1972), commonly known as Nilda or Nildinha, is a Brazilian former football midfielder who played for the Brazil women's national football team. She represented Brazil at the 1996 Summer Olympics, but ...

served 1994–2000
born 1952 (age )
wife of

Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...

Marta Sahagun (cropped).jpg,

served 2001–2006
born 1953 (age )
wife of

File:Margarita Zavala De Calderon (cropped).jpg,

served 2006–2012
born 1967 (age )
wife of

File:Angélica Rivera in France - 2017 (35633555171) (cropped).jpg,

Angélica Rivera Angélica Rivera Hurtado (; born 2 August 1969) is a Mexican singer, model and telenovela actress who, as the wife of Former President Enrique Peña Nieto, was the First Lady of Mexico from 2012 to 2018. During her husband's tenure as preside ...

served 2012–2018
born 1969 (age )
ex-wife of

Enrique Peña Nieto Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican former politician and lawyer who was the 64th president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he p ...

File:Beatriz Müller TV feria de los barrios (cropped).jpg,

served 2018–2024
born 1969 (age )
wife of

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

The most recent first lady to die was

Paloma Cordero Paloma Delia Margarita Cordero Tapia, known as Paloma Cordero, (February 21, 1937 – May 11, 2020) was the First Lady of Mexico from 1982 to 1988 during the presidency of her husband, Miguel de la Madrid. Cordero also headed the National System ...

, widow of

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 ...

on May 11, 2020.

References

Notes

External links

{{First Ladies and Gentlemen First Lady

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

First Lady