Muxe

'Muxe' (pronounced 'moo-she') is the term for a third-gender role among the Zapotec people in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, particularly around the city of Juchitán. Muxes are AMAB individuals who present themselves in a feminine role — socially, culturally, and through their clothing. The tradition goes back many generations and is often presented by anthropologists as an example of pre-Columbian gender diversity.

What does it mean?

A muxe is not an exact equivalent of a 'transgender woman'. The role is socially assigned and accepted within the matriarchally oriented Zapotec culture, in which women have traditionally carried the responsibility for the marketplace and the economy. Muxes often take on caregiving or household duties and play a ceremonial role at festivals, particularly the annual 'Vela de las Auténticas Intrépidas Buscadoras del Peligro' in Juchitán.

Distinctions and overlap

Comparable third-gender roles include: hijra (South Asia), kathoey (Thailand), fa'afafine (Samoa), and two-spirit (Indigenous North America). Muxe differs, among other things, in that the role is fairly strongly integrated into the broader economic role of women within Zapotec society.

Social and practical context

Muxes are generally accepted in Juchitán; outside the area — in urban Mexico or in the north of the country — their position is less secure. Mexico does not recognize a separate legal status for muxes. However, since 2023, the country has issued passports with the designation X.

Critical perspectives

Western media regularly present muxe as 'the Mexican third gender' and as evidence of universal gender diversity. Anthropologists point out that muxe can only be understood within the specific Zapotec context: the matriarchal economy, syncretic Catholic religious life, and local family structure. It is not an abstract 'gender' category but a social role pattern. This critique of the idea of universal third genders is explored in gender in other cultures and in trans people in history.