A Panamanian of Chinese origin,[2] Diaz met future president Guillermo Endara in September 1989, while he was on hunger strike to protest the autocratic military rule of Manuel Noriega.
[2] International observers had reported Endara to be the clear leader in the May presidential election,[5] and — although he had earlier showed discomfort with US patronage — during the US invasion of Panama in December, he was sworn in as president from the safety of a US military base in the Canal Zone.
[3] The pair married on June 11, 1990, within 9 months of having first met, in a wedding attended by the ambassadors of various nations.
[7] Endara was reportedly so happy in the marriage that he would even be described as allegedly leaving cabinet meetings for a "quick cuddle".
Due in part to the couple's difference in ages and weights—Endara was in his mid-fifties, already a grandfather, and — despite his hunger strike — known for his weight; Ana Mae Díaz was 23—the marriage received widespread coverage and mockery in the Panamanian press, including a new nickname for Endara, El Gordo Feliz ("Happy Fatty").