María Julia Mantilla García, popularly known as 'Maju' was crowned Miss World 2004 on December 4, 2004, at the Beauty Crown Theatre located in the Chinese beach city of Sanya. She was born in Trujillo, a city in the northern coast of Peru. 

Maria Garcia has worked as a model and as the Hostess of a popular TV show in Peru. In 2001, she became the Peruvian National Champion of triathlon and pentathlon. She is also a professional dancer  in the typical local dance. She is interested in teaching as well as a career in Tourism in order to help promote all the interesting places of her hometown, which has the biggest archaeological monument Chan Chan, a city made of sand, on the coast of Peru. Her personal motto is: My family is my strength. Incidentally, her aunt Maria Julia Mantilla Mayer was Miss Peru 1969.