| Post: | First Lady |
| Body: | Mexico |
| Incumbent: | Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller |
| Incumbentsince: | 1 December 2018 |
| Residence: | National Palace of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico |
| Formation: | 1917 |
| Termlength: | 6 years |
The first lady or first gentleman of Mexico is the informal title held by the spouse of the president of Mexico, concurrent with the president's term of office. [1] The position has no legal foundation and was originally started as a courtesy title. 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.
Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller is the current first lady as the wife of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
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 founded the national philanthropic organization Vamos México.
Two first ladies have been active politicians: Martha Sahagún, who married Vicente Fox during his tenure (2001–2006), had been a party activist and candidate for mayor of Celaya 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, wife of Felipe Calderón, was a deputy from 2003 to 2006. In the 2018 Mexican general election, she was a pre-candidate for the nomination of PAN, and then she briefly ran as an independent.[2]
Beatriz 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.[3]
Revolutionary era
| Portrait | Name | President | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| María Antonieta Bretón de Victoria | Guadalupe Victoria | 1824–1829 | ||
| María Guadalupe Hernández de Guerrero | Vicente Guerrero | 1829 | ||
| María de Jesús Carranco de Bocanegra | José María Bocanegra | 1829 | ||
| Guadalupe Quesada de Bustamante | Anastasio Bustamante | 1830–1832, 1837–1839, 1839–1841 | ||
| Joaquina Bezares de Múzquiz | Melchor Múzquiz | 1832 | ||
| María Juliana Azcárate de Gómez Pedraza | Manuel Gómez Pedraza | 1832–1833 | ||
| Isabel López de Gómez Farias | Valentín Gómez Farías | 1833–1834, 1846–1847 | ||
| Inés García de López de Santa Anna | Antonio López de Santa Anna | 1833–1844 | ||
| Manuela de Trebuesto y Casasola de Barragán | Miguel Barragán | 1835–1836 | ||
| Juana Fernanda Ulloa de Corro | José Justo Corro | 1836–1837 | ||
| María Antonieta Guevara y Muñiz de Bravo | Nicolas Bravo | 1839, 1843, 1846 | ||
| Refugio Almanza de Echeverría | Francisco Javier Echeverría | 1841 | ||
| Josefa Dávila de Canalizo | Valentín Canalizo | 1844 | ||
| Dolores Alzugaray de Herrera | José Joaquín de Herrera | 1844–1845, 1848–1851 | ||
| Josefa Cortés de Paredes | Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga | 1846 | ||
| Josefa Cardeña de Salas | José Mariano Salas | 1846, 1859 | ||
| Antonieta Guevara de Anaya | Pedro Ma. Anaya | 1847, 1848 | ||
| María Luisa Ozta Cotera de la Peña | Manuel de la Peña y Peña | 1847, 1848 | ||
| Guadalupe Martell de Arista | Mariano Arista | 1851–1853 | ||
| Ángeles Madrid de Bautista Ceballos | Juan Bautista Ceballos | 1853 | ||
| Refugio Alegría de Lombardini | Manuel María Lombardini | 1853 | ||
| Dolores Tosta de López de Santa Anna | Antonio López de Santa Anna | 1853–1855 | ||
| Ángeles Lardizábal de Carrera | Martín Carrera | 1855 | ||
| Pilar Valera de Díaz de la Vega | Rómulo Díaz de la Vega | 1855 | ||
| Faustina Benítez de Álvarez | Juan Álvarez | 1855 | ||
| María Baamonde de Comonfort | Ignacio Comonfort | 1855–1858 | ||
| Margarita Maza de Juárez | Benito Juárez | 1858–1871 | ||
| María de la Gracia Palafox de Zuloaga | Félix María Zuloaga | 1858 | ||
| - | Manuel Robles Pezuela | 1858–1859 | ||
| Concepción Lombardo de Miramón | Miguel Miramón | 1859–1860 | ||
| Felipa González de Pavón | José Ignacio Pavón | 1860 | ||
| - | Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada | 1872–1876 | ||
| Juana Calderón de Iglesias | José María Iglesias | 1876 | ||
| - | Juan N. Méndez | 1876-1877 | ||
| Delfina Ortega de Díaz | Porfirio Díaz | 1877–1880 | ||
| Laura Mantecón de González | Manuel González Flores | 1880–1884 | ||
| Carmen Romero Rubio de Díaz | Porfirio Díaz | 1884–1911 | ||
| Refugio Borneque de León de la Barra | Francisco León de la Barra | 1911 | ||
| Sara Pérez de Madero | Francisco I. Madero | 1911–1913 | ||
| María Enriqueta Flores de Lascuráin | Pedro Lascuráin | 1913 | ||
| Emilia Águila de Huerta | Victoriano Huerta | 1913–1914 | ||
| Ana María Gutiérrez de Carvajal | Francisco S. Carvajal | 1914 | ||
| Petra Treviño de Gutiérrez Ortiz | Eulalio Gutiérrez | 1914–1915 | ||
| María Concepción Garay de González Garza | Roque González Garza | 1915 | ||
| - | Francisco Lagos Cházaro | 1915 |
Post-revolutionary era
As of, there are five living former first ladies, as identified below.
The most recent first lady to die was Paloma Cordero, widow of Miguel de la Madrid on May 11, 2020.