Mission accomplished. Queen Sofía returns to Spain after her trip to Houston (Texas, USA), the city that she herself has defined as the "most diverse, inclusive and international city in the United States" and where she has vindicated the common history, the Shared culture, gastronomy and music. As a finishing touch, this Wednesday (early morning in Spain), the King's mother presided at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the delivery of the Queen Sophia Spanish Institute medals received by the singer Gloria Estefan and her husband, the producer Emilio Estefan; the art curator Mari Carmen Ramírez and the businessman Ignacio Torras, for his excellence and his contribution to maintaining ties between the United States, Spain and Latin America
The King's mother, who arrived in the Texan capital last Sunday, wore a mauve layered chiffon dress adorned with a pearl necklace, from which hung the ruby and diamond pendentif that belonged to her mother, Queen Federica of Greece, which he wore, among other occasions, at the proclamation of Felipe VI and also at the wedding of the then princes of Asturias, which will be 19 years old on the 22nd.
In her brief speech, during the award ceremony, Queen Sofía highlighted the choice of the Texan city for the awards ceremony: "For the first time we are gathered here in Houston, Texas, one of the most important urban areas in the country, and probably the most diverse, inclusive and international city in the United States. And also a place where the English and Spanish languages coexist in the history of this state." The Spanish Institute, which has carried the name of Queen Sophia since 2003, was founded in 1954 by a group of people linked to the Spanish heritage in the United States. Based in New York, it holds conferences, exhibitions, and concerts throughout the year to promote culture of Spanish origin in the United States, and every year it awards outstanding personalities.
The ceremony was held at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, a cultural center of which Mari Carmen Ramírez, one of the winners, is the director. Of Ramírez, who was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 24 most influential Hispanics in the country, Queen Sofía said that she is "one of the world's most recognized authorities on modern and contemporary Latin American art."
Another of the winners was the businessman and promoter Ignacio Torras, of whom the King's mother highlighted his leadership in "several fields of excellence", from the chemical sector, on which his company Tricon Energy focuses, to Spanish cuisine, since is the owner of the BCN Taste restaurants
The ceremony was attended by the president of the Queen Sophia Institute, David Askren, the executive director, Begoña Santos; members of its board, such as María Luisa Cánovas and Carmen Reviriegio, and social, business, philanthropic and diplomatic figures, as well as the Spanish ambassador to the United States, Santiago Cabanas.
After the award ceremony, a dinner was held in the museum room where the museum's Latin American art collection is located. The attendees tasted a dinner made up of various dishes from the Spanish restaurants MAD and BCN Taste
During her stay in Houston, Queen Sofía attended the inauguration of the Spain Fusión gastronomic contest on Monday and also the presentation of the Historia Hispánica portal of the Royal Academy of Spanish History, the largest database on events and characters in history Spanish among which are those linked to the presence in America. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who attended the unveiling of the historic portal, highlighted the Spanish heritage in the city and state: "You can feel it in every sector, including oil and gas, medicine, aviation, the culinary industry and art".
