La vela muxe
November 15, 2014
We had many burning curiosities about a Oaxacan fiesta called la vela muxe in Juchitán de Zaragoza: Who are these muxes? Why is this gender group that is widely shunned in societies around the world celebrated by the Zapotecs of Juchitán? And, are we ever even going to make it to this fiesta?
After wondering all day on a Friday if we were even going to try and go, a friend of ours in Oaxaca from Juchitán, Juan, gave us the directive at 10pm to meet him at the bus station. Totally obscured at the street by a Great Wall of food stalls, we would have never found the entrance to the second class bus station on our own, but this is one of many reasons we were totally at Juan’s disposal for the weekend.
After attempting to purchase tickets off and on for sold out and canceled buses for nearly 8 hours, we finally boarded a bus at around 7am, and then we were on our windy windy way to Juchitán. This bus ride to the coast is not for the faint of stomachs, but a great lack of sleep topped off with a Dramamine guaranteed a decent 5 hour rest as we made our way to the hot, dusty, near-coast of the Istmo, the isthmus of Mexico.
After feasting on freshly caught seafood in Juan’s family restaurant, La Palapa, we explored the central market of Juchitán. There, I picked up a bright purple huipil (a traditional top/shirt) to wear, and flowers for my hair, beginning to modestly approximate the stunning traditional dress of the Istmo. We also grabbed a plate of garnaches, delicious little fried corn tortillas topped with beans, meat, and a fermented cabbage reminiscent of sauerkraut.
There had been a lot of anticipation – around Oaxaca and even internationally – about this vela (big city-wide party) in honor of the muxes. Vice put out a video on "Oaxaca’s Third Gender” in 2013, which we watched before heading out there for some background. Nevertheless, the piece still left a lot of questions unanswered, and in actuality a lot would remain unanswered after experiencing it all with our own eyes. But we did have a damn good time.
In the Zapotec tradition particular to Juchitán de Zaragoza, a muxe is a person who was born male but has feminine mannerisms and fills a traditionally female role within a family. “He” (EL muxe) is not considered a woman in society, but neither is he considered a man. I have had many people describe to me that muxes are "gays" (sometimes the English word used, sometimes the Spanish "homosexuales"). But after witnessing the vela, I believe that muxe is not a sexual orientation but a gender identity. A western label I think is more appropriate is “trans”, though the cultural circumstance – and therefore social rules and restrictions imposed – merit the even more specific use of the Zapotec word “muxes” to describe these people. There really is no English translation.
Traditionally, muxes have experienced a degree of appreciation in their community, as they are seen as a very valuable member of the family: someone with the skills and roles of a woman in the household, but with the physical strength and ability of a man. Traditionally, muxes do not marry, let alone partner up. They are a permanent member of the family and household, and are the automatic caregiver for their parents when they age. I was told that partnering up was very frowned upon, as muxes are not permitted socially to have their own household. Muxes do not partner up with other muxes. There were allusions to clandestine sexual relations between muxes and men in the community, but a clear message that these partnerships were neither to be lasting nor public.
There are around 26 different velas annually in Juchitán, and there is a systematic organization to these city-wide fiestas. La vela muxes was set up like a huge wedding, with three stages at the front and a vast dance floor in the middle surrounded by groups of tables and chairs. The chairs were divided into adjacent sections, with a host for each section. It’s unclear if Juan or his sister actually knew our host, but we followed protocol for admission: men purchased a case of beer at the entry and immediately handed it over to the host as a gift, while women folded a 50 peso bill into a napkin and handed it over to the host when shaking hands.
The vela really did have the feeling of a wedding, the biggest wedding I could ever imagine going to. Everyone was dressed to the nines – Istmo style – and looked absolutely incredible. Men were dressed in crisp white shirts and dark slacks. Women were dressed in the traditional embroidered frocks with bright flowers on a contrasting dark velvet background. Hairstyles evoked of the clothing as well, with brilliant ribbons and flowers woven into up-dos, contrasting with the rich dark hues of the hair of a morena.
Muxes, well, the majority of them in the crowd dressed as the women did, but as the presentation and parade began, we witnessed a spectrum of fashion from the Istmo to a prom to a beauty pageant and even to the Las Vegas strip. Once the first live 30-piece band had finished on Stage I, there was a presentation of muxes, kind of like a fashion show – or drag show – where each would come up to the stage, walk around while being talked about by the host on the microphone, and then proceed down steps to the dance floor to saunter down the long aisle created by the biforcated crowd. The pictures of this parade speak for themselves.
Once the fashion show was over, there was a performance of a traditional dance, where muxes (or maybe they were women?) danced with men, all in traditional garb. This reinforced the hetero-normativity of the occasion. All night, I only saw one couple of men dancing together, and I never saw any women dancing together as partners.
The dance performance was followed by a huge dance party where everyone in the crowd participated, complete with another live band on another stage (accompanied by a pair of professional acrobatic salsa dancers) and men with fireworks and some on stilts scattered through the crowd. Though we danced until late in the night (early in the morning?), we left while the party still going strong and enjoyed a lovely hammock rest at Juan’s sister’s house for the night.
