María Asunción Aramburuzabala and Ricardo Salinas: The Truth

Last updated: October 24, 2026

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Quick Answer

No — María Asunción Aramburuzabala and Ricardo Salinas Pliego are not married, engaged, or romantically involved. Both are Mexican billionaires, and that is exactly what ties them together: she built a beer and investment fortune worth around $9 billion, while he built a retail and media empire worth around $3.7 billion. The most interesting link between them is business, not romance: she was once a major investor and board member of Televisa, the direct rival of the TV Azteca network he owns.

María Asunción Aramburuzabala and Ricardo Salinas relationship timeline artwork

Who Are María Asunción Aramburuzabala and Ricardo Salinas?

María Asunción Aramburuzabala (born May 2, 1963, in Mexico City) is Mexico’s richest woman and the chairperson of Tresalia Capital, her family investment office. She inherited the family’s stake in Grupo Modelo — the brewer of Corona — after her father, Pablo Aramburuzabala, died suddenly in 1995 when she was just 32. An accounting graduate of ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México), she famously held the family fortune together against rival corporate groups, then steered it through the $20 billion sale of Grupo Modelo to Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2013.

Ricardo Salinas Pliego (born 1955) is the founder and chairman of Grupo Salinas, a conglomerate that includes the Elektra retail chain, Banco Azteca, and the TV Azteca broadcasting network. He joined the family business in 1981 and transformed a modest furniture-and-appliances chain into one of Latin America’s largest retail and financial empires. He is married and has several children.

The two sit side by side on Mexico’s rich lists year after year — she ranked among the top five Mexican billionaires in 2026, he among the top ten — which is why their names get searched together so often. Their worlds also overlap in Mexican media: Televisa, where she once held a significant stake and a board seat, has long competed head-to-head with Salinas Pliego’s TV Azteca for the country’s television audience. For a look at another pair of business heavyweights from these billionaire rankings, see our breakdown of Carlos Slim and Donald Trump’s real connection — Slim sits at number one on the same Mexican list where Aramburuzabala and Salinas appear.

Relationship Timeline

Because there is no romance between these two, the timeline below covers the real milestones that connect their lives and businesses:

  • 1925 — Félix Aramburuzabala, the Basque immigrant grandfather of María Asunción, co-founds Grupo Modelo in Mexico City, the brewery that would make Corona the best-selling imported beer in the United States.
  • 1955 — Ricardo Salinas Pliego is born in Mexico City into the Salinas family, whose patriarch Hugo Salinas Rocha founded the Elektra stores in the 1950s.
  • 1963 — María Asunción Aramburuzabala is born in Mexico City on May 2. She later earns an accounting degree from ITAM.
  • 1981 — Salinas Pliego joins Grupo Elektra, rising to chief executive within a few years and building the company into a retail, banking, and media giant.
  • 1995 — Pablo Aramburuzabala dies of lung cancer at age 63. His daughter María Asunción, then 32, steps in to defend and lead the family’s stake in Grupo Modelo against rival corporate groups seeking control.
  • 1996 — She founds Tresalia Capital (“tres aliadas” — herself, her mother, and her sister) to diversify the family fortune beyond brewing, and becomes vice chair of Grupo Modelo.
  • Early 2000s — Aramburuzabala becomes a major investor and board member of Grupo Televisa, Mexico’s largest broadcaster — the direct rival of Salinas Pliego’s TV Azteca. A Televisa press release from January 2006 confirms her board position and investment.
  • 2005 — She marries Tony Garza, the sitting U.S. Ambassador to Mexico; the marriage ends in divorce in May 2010.
  • 2013 — Anheuser-Busch InBev buys the remaining half of Grupo Modelo for roughly $20 billion; the Aramburuzabala family pockets at least $3 billion, and she uses part of the proceeds to buy AB InBev shares and join its board.
  • 2013–2020s — Through Tresalia, she builds a diversified portfolio spanning Tory Burch, KIO Networks, Kraft Heinz, JAB Holding, real estate, and infrastructure, while Salinas Pliego expands Grupo Salinas into the United States with ventures such as Advance America.
  • 2023 — Aramburuzabala steps down from her board roles at AB InBev and Coty, shifting her focus toward family-office succession planning.
  • 2025 — Bloomberg reports that Tresalia Capital is preparing an $8 billion succession plan, with her son Pablo already managing its private-equity division.
  • 2026 — Forbes places her fortune at roughly $9 billion — Mexico’s richest woman — and his at roughly $3.7 billion, keeping both firmly on the country’s short list of billionaires.

Latest Updates

The biggest recent headline on the Salinas side is financial: in 2026, after a years-long dispute over tax claims and fraud allegations, Grupo Elektra reportedly agreed to pay nearly $1.9 billion to the Mexican government. Trading in related shares was suspended, and the company moved toward going private — a dramatic turn for an empire built over four decades. For context on how another Mexican industrialist navigated the billionaire spotlight, read Shari Redstone and Germán Larrea’s real connection — Larrea ranks just behind Carlos Slim on the same 2026 rich list.

On the Aramburuzabala side, the story is one of orderly transition. With the family office reportedly valued near $8 billion, Tresalia Capital’s succession planning has become her main project, and her son is already running parts of the operation. She has also trimmed her public corporate roles, stepping down from the AB InBev and Coty boards in 2023.

As for the pair themselves: no verified report has ever connected María Asunción Aramburuzabala and Ricardo Salinas Pliego as a couple. Their “relationship” exists on Mexico’s billionaire rankings and in the shared history of the country’s media wars — Televisa versus TV Azteca. If you enjoy these real-vs-rumored explainers about wealthy power pairs, our piece on Audrey Hepburn and Bill Gates’ real connection separates another famous billionaire pairing’s fact from fiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are María Asunción Aramburuzabala and Ricardo Salinas Pliego married?
No. There is no evidence they have ever been in a relationship. She was married to U.S. diplomat Tony Garza from 2005 to 2010; Salinas Pliego is married to someone else and has several children.

What is María Asunción Aramburuzabala’s net worth?
As of 2026, Forbes estimated her fortune at roughly $9 billion, making her the richest woman in Mexico. The wealth originated in Grupo Modelo (Corona beer) and now sits in her diversified family office, Tresalia Capital.

What companies does Ricardo Salinas Pliego own?
He chairs Grupo Salinas, which includes the Elektra retail chain, Banco Azteca, the TV Azteca broadcasting network, and other ventures. His 2026 net worth was estimated at roughly $3.7 billion.

What is the real connection between Aramburuzabala and Salinas Pliego?
They are both Mexican billionaire titans who appear on the same rich lists, and their business worlds overlap in media: she was once a significant Televisa investor and board member, while he owns TV Azteca — Televisa’s historic rival. Beyond that shared business universe, there is no personal connection.

Faizi is a content writer at AllAboutFacts (hotteamnames.com), covering vocabulary, language tips, and everyday explainers.

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