The Fluidity of Muxe identity in el secreto del rio/the secret of the river

The producer and directors of the Netflix series El secreto del río (The Secret of the River, Alberto Barrera, 2024) have delivered a sensitive and layered portrayal of muxe identity – a “third-gender” category rooted in the Zapotec culture of Mexico. At the heart of the series lies its symbology of water – a singular thread that enriches the narrative and ties muxe identity to Indigenous cosmologies. Through the imagery of water, the series set in Oaxaca invokes the Zapotec water deity Cocijo or Cociyo, God of Lightning.1 The central protagonists, Manuel and Erik, share a friendship presented as a delicate and tender tapestry that becomes more emotionally complex as they mature and come of age. The narrative weaves Indigenous epistemologies together with geographic space to show their connectedness to Oaxaca. Similarly the community of muxes who act as their spiritual guides and mentors are also deeply rooted in their interconnectedness of land, body, and spirit which is an embodied experience that ties them to ancient cosmologies and understanding of gender. For the Zapotec, change in the Oaxaca Valley since the birth of Christ and the Spanish Conquest, as well as what historian John Paddock calls a “trifling Aztec invasion”2 only presented gradual change illuminating the resilience and vision of the Zapotec in maintaining their traditions.

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