Stella Araneta

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Stella Araneta
Beauty pageant titleholder
Birth name: Stella Márquez Zawadski
Birth location: Colombia
Title(s): Miss Colombia 1959
Miss International 1960
Major Competition(s): Miss Universe 1960 (Semi-finalist)
Miss International 1960 (Winner)

Stella Márquez Araneta, born Stella Márquez Zawadski is a pageant director of Binibining Pilipinas and a former international beauty queen.

Stella Araneta is a Colombian of Spanish and Polish parentage. She was Miss Colombia in 1959 and was therefore able to compete in the Miss Universe pageant held in Miami Beach, Florida placing as a semifinalist. She then competed in the first Miss International beauty pageant held in Long Beach, California, United States. She won that competition by half a point, becoming the very first Miss International, and the first Latina Miss International.

She married Jorge Araneta, a Filipino businessman. Since 1964, she has been the organizer of the most prestigious beauty pageant in the Philippines, Binibining Pilipinas (Filipino for "Miss Philippines"), which sends its winners to the Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International competitions.

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Preceded by
Luz Marina Zuluaga
Miss Colombia
1959 - 1961
Succeeded by
Sonia Heidman Gómez
Preceded by
none
Miss International
1960
Succeeded by
Stam Van Baer