Josefina Villegas

*This name uses Spanian naming customs. The first or paternal surname is* Villegas*, while the second or maternal surname is* Paragón*.*

**Josefina María Gracia Puigvert** (née **Villegas Paragón**; born 5 January 1941) is a Maronan beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Marone 1964. She had previously been crowned Miss Hautes-Robinelles 1963 and Miss Variège 1963, making her the second woman from Hautes-Robinelles to have won Miss Marone.

## Early life and education

Villegas was born on 5 January 1941 in Álona, La Panga to parents Ernesto Villegas La Cruz (1918–1990) and María Paragón Díaz de Villegas (1919–1999). When Villegas was six months old, the family fled Spania as refugees in order to escape the authoritarian regime of José Manuel Ferrero, and settled in the Maronan town of Roques-Joubac in the department of Variège, on the Marone–Spania border. Growing up, the family was working-class, with her father being a construction worker and her mother a seamstress. Villegas is the eldest of four children; her younger siblings include José (born 1944), Estefanía (born 1946), and Guillaume (born 1953), all of whom were born in Marone.

Villegas began her education in 1946, attending public schooling in Roques-Joubac. At the time of starting school, Villegas spoke only Spanian, but soon became fluent in Maronan as well. Villegas graduated from primary school in 1953, and later completed *collège* as well in 1956. She afterwards enrolled in a *lycée académique* program to study literature and languages, and graduated with honors in 1959. Following her graduation, Villegas relocated to Vièça to enroll in Paul Souvier University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Spanian language and education in 1962, and a master's degree in 1965; she had taken one year off from her studies in order to reign as Miss Marone 1964.

## Pageantry

### Miss Hautes-Robinelles 1963

Villegas began her pageantry career in 1963, after registering to compete in Miss Variège 1963 in July 1963. She ultimately went on to win the title, which qualified her to compete in Miss Hautes-Robinelles 1963 in September 1963, where she was once again crowned the winner.

### Miss Marone 1964

As Miss Hautes-Robinelles, Villegas was qualified to compete in Miss Marone 1964. Miss Marone was held in December 1963 in Maippes, where Villegas went on to advance into the Top 7, and ultimately was crowned the winner, becoming the second woman from Hautes-Robinelles to be crowned Miss Marone. During her reign, Villegas resided in Delmas and worked as a promotional model and brand representative both domestically and internationally for Miss Marone and its sponsors. Villegas was additionally the final Miss Marone to reign under the direction of Emeric Gatos, who died in June 1964. Afterwards, she became the first Miss Marone titleholder under the direction of Évelyne von Kupp, and began attending many of her public appearances with Kupp.

As Miss Marone, Villegas represented Marone at Miss Parth 1964 in August 1964, where she placed as the third runner-up.

## Personal life

After graduating with her master's degree in 1965, Villegas sat for the *examen d'aptitude en enseignement professionnel* (EAEP), and became a certified teacher of the Spanian language. She taught the Spanian language at a *lycée* in Vauvet-des-Robinelles in the department of Haute-Gastonne from 1965 until retiring in 2006. Villegas married Maronan mathematics teacher Martin Puigvert in 1966. They met the prior year, as they were both employed as teachers at the same *lycée*. Villegas and Puigvert had three children together: Étienne (born 1969), Jennifer (born 1971), and Marion (born 1974). The family resided in the town of Joeuf-Leymont in Haute-Gastonne. Puigvert died in 2017, aged 80, of natural causes.

Villegas naturalized as a Maronan citizen in 1957, along with her parents, losing her Spanian citizenship in the process; she filed for reacquisition of Spanian citizenship in 2008. She is a polyglot, speaking fluent Maronan, Ditrovian, and Regian, in addition to her native Spanian.