María Belén Alderete Gayoso representing Cordillera (Age – 24 Years/ Height – 175 cm) was crowned Miss Universo Paraguay 2018 also known as Miss Universe Paraguay 2018 at the grand finale of Reinas de Belleza del Paraguay 2018 held on 24th August 2018. She will now represent Paraguay at Miss Universe 2018. She succeeds Miss Universe Paraguay 2017 Ariela Machado.
María is currently studying Engineering in marketing career. She is multilingual as she is proficient in Spanish, Guaraní and English languages. María maintains a healthy lifestyle which reflects in her body. She can often be seen hanging out in the beach.