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- In the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, south of the Aztec country, the muxes have lived since time immemorial. Born men, they become women to reintegrate into their families as eternal daughters and caregivers. Although there have been outbreaks of violence against them in recent years, they are generally respected and accepted by their communities. Provided they comply with the rules: they can never become independent, for example.
The anthropologists affirm that before the arrival of the white man and his religions, in some indigenous groups of America , both from the north and from the south, the existence of different genders than the conventional ones within the communities was normally accepted. In her paper 'Ethnicity and third gender', the sociologist at the University of Vigo Águeda Gómez recalls how "among the Crow Indians there were male shamans who dressed as women and dedicated themselves to granting sexual favors to warriors. Something similar has been detected in Mohave, Zuni, Hopo, Navajo, Yuman, Crow, Yokut, Papago, Cheyene, Winnwbago, Omaha, Ojibwa, Cocopa, Apache, Miami, Yorok and Piegan cultures of North America. "
"Third genres," says the expert, "exist in many societies." One of them, where it is still in force, is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec , in the Mexican State of Oaxaca .
In this area, some Zapotec mothers educate certain male children in traditionally feminine roles or do not disallow them when they claim to exercise certain functions assigned to women. A muxe daughter is an economic and emotional support for the family .
The muxes [the word is a phonetic derivation of the Spanish woman that the Zapotecs began to use in the 16th century] are educated to be workers and good caregivers of their parents in old age. A muxe daughter will never leave the paternal home to start her own family or to live as a couple. The Isthmus society is tolerant as long as the woman exercises her care function. If at any time you are going to live with your partner, you will be criticized and pointed out.
What they can do is work . In fact, many of them do it as waitresses, embroiderers, shopkeepers, hairdressers, running canteens, as domestic workers, etc. To get an idea of the weight of the muxes in society, the data provided by the researcher Gonzalo Lara López , that in Juchitán , one of the five districts of the Isthmus, constitutes 6% of the population.
Estrella is the designer of the elaborate embroidery that the wonderful Zapotec dresses wear. Your agenda is always full of orders. Sometimes he has up to two people embroidering the orders of his clients. She also teaches dance to the youngest children of an elementary school, and gives private lessons to girls who want to celebrate their 15th party. She has almost no time for herself. But when in November of each year the great festival of the muxes arrives, the candle of the Authentic Intrepid Seekers of Danger , there they take their time to go out and enjoy.
Candles are traditional Zapotec festivals in the Isthmus area . Its origin is pre-Hispanic , but for centuries they are fused with Catholic rituals . What they celebrated originally was the harvesting . The earth was thanked for its abundance. Today, always linked to a saint, the festivities include parades with floats, religious ceremonies, whole days where you eat, drink and dance a lot, and other activities.
Each year in the aforementioned candle of the muxes a queen is chosen. Being it is a great honor and gives social prestige , but it also involves certain high economic expenses , since commitments are made with the community.
On the day of the candle, in the morning, he goes to the church to give thanks to St. Vincent Ferrer , the saint of the city, and during the Mass the priest asks some muxes to climb the pulpit to read passages from the Bible . Already at night, in the large area destined to the party, a parade is made, where all the muxes stroll with their wonderful traditional dresses , although in recent years some have been launched to do so with more current looks.
In any case, the event is a waste of color and joy . For a whole night you dance to the sound of a great orchestra, eat and drink. The next day is another party called Lavada de ollas , where you continue dancing and eating and drinking what was left over from the previous day. The third day is celebrated The reheated at the house of the butler of the celebrations, in a more intimate format.
It has always been said that in the city of Juchitán de Zaragoza there was a kind of matriarchy . It is not at all true, but it can be said that women in this area have a certain social recognition, so the acceptance of the muxes would be closely linked to the perception that the female gender has in the area. They are, for example, those that control the market. This certain independence would help legitimize the muxes, although there are also reasons deeply linked to ancestral social beliefs and uses.
In any case, your life is not a path of roses. As Adrián Alfredo Flores Ezeta wrote in an article on the subject published in La Jornada de Morelos , muxes increasingly suffer male aggressions: "The [sic] ridicule in public and sometimes exercise physical violence." A novelty that Flores blames on globalization, which would have taken ahead the respect that previous generations professed towards this third genre.
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