Yalitza Aparicio: Indigenous star of Netflix's Roma appears on cover of Vogue Mexico

'Stereotypes are being broken: that only people with a certain profile can be on the cover of magazines'

Fresh off her acting debut in Netflix’s new film Roma, Yalitza Aparicio has landed the cover of Vogue Mexico’s January 2019 issue.

Written, produced and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Roma is a black and white film set in early 1970s Mexico and has been praised by critics as one of the films of the year.

The main character, Cleo, played by Aparicio, is a maid working for a well-off middle class family and was inspired by Cuarón’s own childhood nanny.

Until recently, Aparicio was a primary school teacher in Tlaxiaco, Oxaca, but she was discovered for the role when Cuarón travelled to indigenous communities around Mexico for casting calls and she was convinced by her sister to go to one.

The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September, quickly gained the praise of critics and fans alike, thrusting Aparicio into the limelight.

Now, the 26-year-old has cemented her arrival into the industry, landing her first ever Vogue Mexico cover for the publication’s January 2019 issue.

In the image, Aparicio is sitting in a vintage chair, dressed in a monochrome lace dress from Dior’s latest collection and gazing at the camera.

“In tiu’n ntav’i,” the cover reads in Mixtec language, “A Star Is Born”.

It is thought that this is one of the first times that Vogue Mexico has chosen to feature an indigenous woman on its cover.

This year alone, the publication has seen a plethora of famous supermodels such as Hailey Baldwin, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski nab a position on the prized front page.

The cover has been praised by readers on social media, with one person describing Aparicio’s presence as “A cover for the history books”.

Another person commented: “This breakthrough gives me the chills”.

While a third wrote: “This is the best cover in the history of Vogue Mexico! Congratulations Vogue!!”

In addition to revealing Aparicio’s cover, the magazine also released a short video, where the actor discusses everything from her dreams to her fear of being in front of the camera and diversity.

“Certain stereotypes are being broken: that only people with a certain profile can be actresses or be on the cover of magazines,” Aparicio says in the video.

“Other faces are now being recognised. It is something that makes me so happy and proud of my roots.”