{"id":60749,"date":"2024-05-20T22:05:06","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T05:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/?p=60749"},"modified":"2024-05-21T16:43:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T23:43:57","slug":"vela-muxe-sf-missio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/vela-muxe-sf-missio\/","title":{"rendered":"Vela Muxe: Mexico\u2019s \u2018third gender\u2019 gets first celebration in S.F.\u2019s Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the indigenous town of Juchit\u00e1n, within the Mexican state of Oaxaca, there are three genders: men, women and muxes. Pronounced \u201cMOO-shay,\u201d muxes are people who are born male and adopt roles and identities associated with women. Muxes are broadly respected within Zapotec culture, and are celebrated every year in Juchit\u00e1n during a days-long festival known as the Vela de las Intrepidas (Vigil of the Intrepids).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beloved celebration reached San Francisco\u2019s Mission District this month with the inaugural \u201cVela Muxe\u201d festival, a series of workshops and events hosted by the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA). Coinciding with International Anti-Homophobia Week, the week-long festival featured a traditional “Calenda” on Friday, a muxe-led procession that began in the Castro District and ended in the Mission District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lady Kero and Nelson Morales were crowned Queen and King of the inaugural \u201cVela Muxe\u201d festival in San Francisco, Calif. on May 18, 2024. Photo: Karem Rodriguez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joined by members of the Bay Area\u2019s LGBTQ+ communities, there were several muxes from Oaxaca in attendance. Among them was Lady Kero, who was crowned \u201cReina de la Vela” on Saturday. \u201cI feel a lot of happiness,\u201d said Kero. \u201cTo give visibility to my sisters who are behind me \u2026 [for] the fight we have had, and continue to have, for our rights.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cRey de la Vela\u201d crown was handed to muxe photographer Nelson Morales. His series, \u201cTierra de Muxes,\u201d was part of the festival\u2019s art exhibition, showcasing a collection of 20 portraits that highlight the beauty and diversity of muxe culture. \u201cFor 14 years I have portrayed the muxe community and myself as part of an exercise in self-acceptance,\u201d said Morales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Considered Mexico\u2019s \u201cthird gender,\u201d muxes have disrupted the gender binary since pre-colonial times. Unlike in western societies, their fluid gender identity is not tied to sexuality, making LGBTQ+ terms like gay, transgender or transsexual inappropriate. Instead, muxes exist as a mixed gender: some live as women, others identify beyond a single gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though prejudice persists, within the Istmo de Tehuantepe, muxes are respected by the important roles they fill in Zapotec society. Muxes traditionally don\u2019t marry, and instead grow up looking after aging parents or their sibling\u2019s children \u2014 a role that family members often consider a blessing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a legend, Vicente Ferrer, the patron saint of Juchit\u00e1n, carried three bags of seeds: one feminine, one masculine and a third bag with a combination of the two. When the mixed bag spilled in Juchit\u00e1n, the muxe was created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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