Day 16. Reviving Queer Rituals in Latin America.

Reclaiming Sacred Queerness

Across Latin America, rituals honoring queer sacredness are returning to public life after centuries of colonial suppression. These celebrations affirm that queerness is not foreign to the region; it is woven into its deepest cultural and spiritual traditions.

Muxe Traditions in Oaxaca

In Oaxaca, Mexico, the Muxe are Zapotec people who embody a third gender identity. Each year, they are celebrated in the vibrant Vela de las Intrépidas festival, a community-led celebration featuring parades, music, blessings, and dancing. The event affirms Muxe roles as cultural leaders and spiritual keepers of balance.

Queer Reclamations in the Andes

In the Andes, Indigenous queer gatherings have begun reclaiming precolonial rituals where gender diversity was once seen as sacred. These ceremonies blend traditional music, food, and offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth) with affirmations of queer and trans presence, signaling a renewal of belonging and ancestral connection.

Ancestral Voices

As Oaxacan Muxe activist Amaranta Gómez Regalado has said:

“Our existence is not a modern invention; it is an ancestral inheritance. Festivals are where we remind the world that we are sacred.”

Ritual as Resistance

These revivals remind us that rituals are not only acts of remembrance but also acts of resistance. They heal the wounds of colonization by reclaiming joy, embodiment, and communal recognition. When queer rituals flourish, they do more than preserve heritage; they create space where all can encounter the divine in diverse forms of love, gender, and spirit.