Maria Julia Mantilla biography: 13 things about Miss World 2004

María Julia “Maju” Mantilla García is a Peruvian teacher, actor, dancer, model and beauty queen. She represented Peru in Miss World.

Born in Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru, Mantilla is the youngest child of Olmedo Lucio Mantilla Mayer and the youngest of Elvia Elizabeth García Linares. Olmedo and Elvia have eight other children. 

Mantilla is 5’9″ tall. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. In 2001, she became a national champion in triathlon and pentathlon in Peru.
2. On April 19, 2004, she represented Trujillo at Miss Peru 2004 and competed against 19 other candidates at Swissotel in San Isidro, Lima, Peru. She ranked second and was crowned Miss World Peru 2004.
3. On December 4, 2004, she represented Peru at Miss World 2004 and competed against 106 other candidates at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, China. She won the title.
4. On April 9, 2005, she attended Miss Czech Republic 2005 at the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. On April 16, 2005, her successor Miss World Peru 2005 Fiorella Castellano was crowned at the Parque de la Exposición in Santa Beatriz, Lima while she was in Indonesia. On April 18, 2005, she, Jackie Chan and Daley Thompson inspected the ruins of houses at Ulee Lheu village during a visit in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
5. On December 10, 2005, she crowned her successor Miss World 2005 Unnur Vilhjálmsdóttir at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya.
6. On February 4, 2012, she and Gustavo Salcedo got married in Trujillo.
7. In 2013, she gave birth to Gustavo Salcedo Mantilla.
8. From 2015 to 2018, she played Monica Pastor Fon-Davis in the television series “Ven, Baila, Quinceañera”. On June 8, 2015, she attended the 6th Annual Solving Kids Cancer Spring Celebration in New York City, New York, United States.
9. In 2016, she gave birth to Luna Maria Salcedo Mantilla.
10. In 2020, she played Ines in the TV series “Te Volvere a Encontrar”.
11. In 2022, she starred in the films “Quien dijo Detox?” and “Mundo Gordo” and played Glenda in the TV series “Maricucha”.
12. On July 10, 2023, she turned 39. She played Alma in the film “Prohibido Salir”, which was released in Peru on September 14, 2023.
13. On March 9, 2024, she served as a Miss World 2023 judge at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India.