Margarita Zavala, the politician who could've been a nun

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UPDATE

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On May 16, 2017, Margarita Zavala announced she was stepping down an would no longer be running for President

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Margarita Zavala

is passionate about four things in her life: her family, teaching, reading, and American Football.

At 16, the now independent presidential candidate faced a dilemma: become a nun or a politician. Her father, Diego Zavala told her: “You don't want to be a nun, what you want to be is a Mother Superior,” as he knew of his daughter's leadership skills and perseverance in reaching her goals.

Margarita Zavala, 50, was a member of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) for 33 years before resigning to the party, claiming the then-national leader – now one of her opponents – Ricardo Anaya , had barred all democratic opportunities within the party to choose the party's candidate.

She studied at a Catholic college, Colegio Asunción, and the former First Lady takes pride in calling herself a Catholic and of having Christian values.

She was born on July 25, 1967, in Mexico City. She lived in her parents' house in Altavista and Periférico, to the south of Mexico City, and while she liked to hang out with friends she was no real troublemaker, according to those closest to her. She is the fifth of seven siblings.

She sets aside her political activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7:00 to 9:00, as she teaches Law to fifth and sixth-grade students at Asunción College. “We all have rights and teaching is mine,” Margarita Zavala – who has been teaching for the past 25 years – replies when asked to take a break from teaching.

She is a regular at the Starbucks shop located a block and a half from her home, as she enjoys a “caramel macchiato” every morning while she reads the newspapers or, one of her other passions, books on Law, which many think no one reads yet Zavala is an avid reader of books on that subject.

Sunday's are “sacred” for her. As a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots – a team she became a fan of during the time she spent in Boston, Massachusetts – American football is vital in her life. In fact, she even invites her entire campaign team to her house to watch the games. “It's all about football, zero rows,” says a member of her inner circle.

When she was young, Margarita loved playing basketball and American football with her brothers. “It wasn't professional, just for fun, but this proves she does like sports. She knows about American football and she likes it, she watches the entire games,” says his older brother, Juan Ignacio.

Another thing she likes is Mexican clothing made by Mexican designers – whether renowned or not. And she likes to improvise. If she has a craving for a certain Mexican dish or street food, she makes time in her agenda and treats her team. She eats in ordinary places. Currently, her favorite dishes are grilled vegetables or salads, yet her favorite one is enchiladas Potosinas , because her mother was born in San Luis Potosí.

“She's a simple woman, with a great spiritual strength. She's not someone who is seduced by money, luxuries, or superficial things; she's a woman of values, simple, who is fond of people's affection,“ details Juan Ignacio.

“The only thing she cooks is lamb, for Easter's dinner; it's a tradition and we all say it's the only thing she knows how to cook,” adds her brother.

In her book “Margarita. My Story,” the former First Lady talks about all her agreements and disagreements while she was a member of the PAN. She has met virtually all the most renowned members of the party, such as Manuel Gómez Morín – the founder – Pablo Emilio Madero, Jesús González Schmal, Manuel J. Clouthier, Carlos Castillo Peraza, and Luis H. Álvartez.

Margarita Zavala joined the PAN in 1984, when she was 16, and told her mother, Mercedes, of her decision. Her mother – herself a member of the PAN since 1949 – warned her that the life as a member of a political party, particularly of the opposition, was harsh as it implied several sacrifices.

Margarita became an active member of the party. She painted walls during campaigns, went to rallies and protest marches, won oratory contests, and even saw her sister being arrested for defending the votes of the PAN.

She had to find time to continue her studies while advancing her political career. One day, her parents introduced her to the the-then national leader of the party, Pablo Emilio Madero, during a convention of PAN members, and it was here that she met the man she would marry and have three children with, Felipe Calderón .

Although she is a fan of pop music, particularly that of singers Mijares, Emmanuel, and music groups Flans and Timbiriche, her favorite song is a ballad titled “Coincidir” (roughly, “Agree on”), a simple song which “is very special for Felipe Calderón and Margarita Zavala. It's their song.”

Law

has always been a passion of hers. According to her collaborators, Margarita's parents studied Law but neither of her siblings chose that field. She received an offer for a scholarship at the Southern Anáhuac University but her destiny was to study at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) or the Free School of Law (Escuela Libre de Derecho), where her mother also studied.

Margarita Zavala held several positions within the internal structure of the PAN but three of the more outstanding ones were as a legislator of the Legislative Assembly of Mexico City, Federal Deputy, and First Lady.

Margarita decided to become the national leader of the PAN the day after the 2015 Federal Elections, in which the Lower Chamber and nine governor offices were renewed. The PAN lost its majority in San Lázaro and won only to states.

Margarita called an urgent meeting at her house with her closest team and told them: “I'm ready to become the national leader.”

Her team warned her that getting into an internal contest over the leadership of the party would be a suicide. “It's going to be rigged, don't fight over the leadership when you can run for the big one,” they said, convincing her with arguments that the people, the entrepreneurs, and the citizens would want her and support her. Margarita Zavala released a video stating her intention to contend for the candidacy of the party to the Presidency, challenging Anaya Cortés.

In her book, Margarita talks about the moment she had to face Ricardo Anaya . After she recorded the video, she went to see him, in secret. She told Anaya that according to the polls she was the favorite among the two of them. Anaya told her he had enough backup to win. The following day, the video went viral on social networks.

Today Margarita Zavala takes the reigns of her campaign. Margarita has told many, including EL UNIVERSAL during an interview, that she doesn't regret leaving the party and that she is as much of a candidate as Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Ricardo Anaya, and José Antonio Meade are. “Now we have a new panorama, I'm in on the ballot,”

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