Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Méndez and the second or maternal family name is García.
Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha
Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha at RuPaul's DragCon UK, 2024
Born (1997-12-01) December 1, 1997 (age 27)
Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain
NationalitySpanish
Other namesArantxa Méndez García
Occupation(s)Podcaster and drag queen

Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha is the stage name of Arantxa Méndez García,[1] a Spanish drag queen, podcaster, and trans woman.[2][3]

Early life

Méndez was born on 1 December 1997 in Badajoz, in the municipality of Extremadura in south-west Spain. She was raised in the small town of Jerez de los Caballeros.[4] She claims that she experienced discrimination at an early age due to her sexual orientation and gender expression.[3]

Her favourite television series as a child was Hannah Montana,[4] the premise of which resonated with her and consequently served as an inspiration for both her drag name and her aesthetic.[3][4] In an interview with the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Méndez claimed that there was no connection between herself and the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha other than a penchant for manchego cheese, stating that a drag queen's job is to lie in order to create an illusion.[3]

Méndez moved to Madrid at the age of 17 to study Audiovisual Communication. During her first year of studying, she was involved in class film project in which she portrayed a woman, claiming that this was something that she wanted to continue doing.[4] It was also during her early years in Madrid that she experienced drag culture for the first time by watching a drag show hosted by Supremme de Luxe.[3]

Career

In 2021, Méndez competed in the first season of the reality television series, Drag Race España.[5] After the season aired, she joined the national tour Gran Hotel de las Reinas along with other participants from the series. The tour was hosted by Supremme de Luxe and vedette Paca la Piraña.[6]

Following her appearance on Drag Race, she has worked as an ambassador of the high-heel race at Madrid Pride,[7] and is an hostess for Jerez de los Caballeros Pride, a pride event in her hometown.[3]

On 13 January 2024, it was announced that she would be one of the contestants on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World.[8] She was crowned Miss Congeniality in the finale episode of the season.

Méndez also hosts a podcast with fellow drag queen Hugáceo Crujiente, Mientras Te Hacías El Eyeliner (While You Were Doing Your Eyeliner).[3]

Personal life

Despite originally identifying as non-binary,[3] Méndez came out as a trans woman in December 2022.[9][10] As of 2024 she was based in Madrid.[8]

Controversy

During her appearance on Drag Race España, Méndez received strong criticism from viewers, which led to her receiving abuse and death threats through social media.[11]

In 2022, both she and Hugáceo Crujiente were involved in a public argument with drag queen Sagittaria, who accused both of treating their fans poorly, not having work, and for poor performance in their shows.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Credits
2021 Una Navidad con Samantha Hudson Drag Queen Supporting role

Television

Year Title Role Credits
2021 Meet the Queens Herself 1 episode
Drag Race España Herself 8 episodes
Tras la carrera Herself 1 episode
2022 Maestros de la costura Herself 1 episode
2024 RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World Herself 3 episodes

References

  1. ^ Gálvez Núñez, Celia (14 June 2021). "Así es Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha, la aspirante pacense de Drag Race España". lacronicadebadajoz.elperiodicoextremadura.com. Editorial Extremadura S.A. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "Meet the Queens interview with Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha". Spill the Tea. 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "La 'drag' que bebió de Hannah Montana". www.lavanguardia.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  4. ^ a b c d "Así es Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha, la aspirante pacense de Drag Race España". La Crónica de Badajoz (in Spanish). 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  5. ^ "¿Quiénes son las 10 concursantes de Drag Race España? De Killer Queen a Inti y The Macarena | Cine y Televisión | LOS40". 2021-10-19. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  6. ^ "Una noche en 'El Gran Hotel de las Reinas': lujo, talento y diversidad en el Olympia". www.lavanguardia.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  7. ^ "Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha: "Muchas artistas 'drag' solo reciben 50€ por trabajar cuatro horas"". Crónica Global (in Spanish). 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  8. ^ a b "'RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs. the World' season 2 cast announced". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  9. ^ LOS40 (2022-12-20). "Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha (Drag Race) tiene algo que decirnos: "Soy una chica y mis pronombres son ella" | Programas". LOS40 (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha ('Drag Race España') se presenta como "una chica abiertamente trans"". El Español (in Spanish). 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  11. ^ Costas, Nayín (2021-06-14). "El grito desesperado Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha ('Drag Race') tras recibir amenazas de muerte". elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  12. ^ 20minutos (2022-12-20). "Sagittaria, de 'Drag Race España', vuelve a estallar contra Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha y Hugáceo Crujiente por su pódcast". www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)