The Zapotec’s Third Gender: Muxe

For communities around the Oaxacan town of Juchitán, citizens are not simply divided into gay or straight, male or female. Many communities around the world have their own take on a “third gender” and for the Zapotec people of this region, that category is called “Muxe,” from the Zapotec word derived from “mujer.” The term is applied to men who live, dress, speak — and are treated socially — like women.

According to anthropologists, this third category was more widespread until Spanish colonists wiped it out in favor of Catholicism and a gender binary system:

Anthropologists trace the acceptance of people of mixed gender to pre-Colombian Mexico, pointing to accounts of cross-dressing Aztec priests and Mayan gods who were male and female at the same time. Spanish colonizers wiped out most of those attitudes in the 1500s by forcing conversion to Catholicism. But mixed-gender identities managed to survive in the area around Juchitán, a place so traditional that many people speak ancient Zapotec instead of Spanish.

Just as they are different ways of “acting” like a man or woman, so are there differences among muxes. Some wear women’s clothing, elaborately styled hair and heavy makeup. Some favor casual clothing. Some dress in a more gender-neutral fashion.

For those who elect to dress in a “feminine” way, there’s the annual November ball, where crowds of locals and foreigners alike to gather to watch as one muxe is proclaimed queen.

The acceptance of muxe is not completely widespread, with some young boys who publicly declare themselves muxes being shunned by their families. However, for a good deal of self-identified muxe, life is pretty sweet compared to other parts of the globe. Says Victor Martiniez Jimenez, a Zapotec construction worker with a muxe child, Alex (hot name):

“It was God who sent him and why would I reject him? He helps his mother very much. Why would I get mad? God sent him for both of us. Why would I get mad?”

Another muxe, Ninel, has also managed to find a very accepting boyfriend. Sebastian, who, despite not initially knowing his girlfriend was born with a male body, says:

“There’s nothing wrong with it. If I like her there’s nothing wrong with that. I was never ashamed; I accept things as they are. I’m not ashamed with my family either. I don’t care what people say. … There are some people that get uncomfortable. I don’t see any problem. What is so bad about it? No one is going to die from this.”

A Lifestyle Distinct: The Muxe of Mexico [NY Times]