Santa Cruz, Bolivia.- Massiel Taveras from the Dominican Republic was crowned Latin American Queen 2007 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, ahead of candidates from Brazil, Paraguay and Spain. The 22-year old, who also won the “Most beautiful face” and “Best figure” titles was one of the favorites to win the contest.

Brazil’s representative, Jane Borges, came second, while María José Maldonado from Paraguay and María Jesús Ruiz from Spain won third and fourth places.

Twenty candidates from all over Latin America took part in the two-week contest, starting in Paraguay and ending in Bolivia.

In Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, Spanish María Jesús Ruiz was elected "Miss Aerosur", the Bolivian airline that sponsors the event.

In Bolivia, the prize for "Best head of hair" was won by Honduras. "Best smile" went to Brazil, "Miss photogenic" and "Best national dress" for Paraguay and "Best figure" and "Most beautiful face" for the Dominican Republic.

Contestants paraded in national costume, swimwear and evening dress.

Candidates came from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, the United States Hispanic community, Uruguay and Venezuela.

This contest is the successor to the Miss South America contest which ended last year and was changed to include candidates from Central and North America as well as from Spain.