Carlos Slim: who is the woman who is singled out as the tycoon's new girlfriend

Carlos Slim Helú is one of the most powerful businessmen in the world, besides being the person with the most money in Mexico, and ranking 16th among the wealthiest in the world, according to the American financial magazine Forbes, who in its last list calculated that he had a fortune of USD 55 billion 930 million.

Slim was married for more than 30 years to Soumaya Domit Gemayel, a woman with whom he had six children and who ventured the magnate into the art world. However, Soumaya died in 1999, due to kidney problems. Since then, Slim has not announced that he has a formal relationship with any other woman, however, he has been linked on different occasions to some.

For example, Slim has been linked to Italian actress Sophia Loren. Another woman with whom it has been said, Slim has had a relationship, without confirmation, is with Queen Noor of Jordan. In February 2009, the Spanish magazine of social chronicle and shows Semana, revealed that Slim had a relationship with her, whose real name is Lisa Halaby.

Recently, the Mexican magnate of Lebanese descent was romantically reconnected with another woman, who holds one of the most important surnames in the country, due to her family's past. This is Mercedes Sánchez Navarro, and her family is one of the most abolengo and important in Mexico.

One of those responsible for the fact that this surname had great relevance in the business and political world of the country, was the father of Mercedes, who was named Juan Sánchez Navarro y Peón, and who died in 2006. However, the history of people who bear the surname that he has highlighted dates back much earlier, since in times of the Colony, which was from 1521 to 1810, this dynasty owned millions of hectares that included dozens of farms and livestock land.

According to the media Political Memory of Mexico, the family owned land through a large estate and granted loans to landowners and then appropriate the debtors' lands. Over the years, the family identified itself with the Conservative Party and supported the empire of Maximilian of Habsburg, which served from 1864 to 1867.

Mercedes' great-grandfather, Carlos Sánchez Navarro y Berain, was appointed Grand Chamberlain of the Court and received honors and decorations such as the Swedish Order of the North Star and was Commander of the Imperial Order of Guadalupe. At that time, its properties comprised 45 large cattle farms, covering about 7.5 million hectares in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, part of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí.

The predecessors of Don Juan are Juan Sánchez Navarro, who in 1575 was part of the colonization of the northern border and is remembered as one of the founders of Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila. The priest José Miguel Sánchez Navarro and his brothers José Gregorio and Manuel Francisco are important in the genealogy of the dynasty.

When Benito Juárez was president, the family had land taken away and fell into disgrace, but Juan Sánchez Navarro y Peón, who spent two years in prison, recovered some lands and rebuilt the reputation of the surname until he became one of the most important publicists and became vice president of Grupo Model.

Don Juan Sánchez Navarro married Teresa Redo and Martínez del Rio, who was the daughter of Diego Redo, former secretary of Porfirio Díaz and former governor of Sinaloa, and Miguel, Eduardo, Beatriz and Mercedes were born, the latter, Slim's supposed girlfriend, according to Caras magazine. It is known that Mercedes has been married twice

Mercedes' father was also head of advertising and manager of the Carta Blanca brewery, according to the media Political Memory. In 1979, he was also appointed president of the Bankers Club of Mexico and was one of the pioneers of several business bodies, such as the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) and the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry.

Juan Sánchez Navarro also made an alliance with the recently deceased businessman Alberto Bailleres, in favor of then-President Luis Echeverria. He was an important promoter of the Free Trade Agreement and earlier, in 1939, he was the founder of the National Action Party (PAN).

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