oaxaca
– MÉXICO –
Divine Fluidity started in Oaxaca, with the blessing of the muxes during Guelaguetza, the state’s most important celebration—a time of dance, gratitude, and shared abundance. At Quinta Real, a former convent turned hotel, history and beauty merged, offering the perfect setting for a night of communion and celebration.
At the heart of it all was Estrella, our generous host—a true caretaker to her friends, embodying the warmth and strength of muxes.
She is proof that stars do not ask permission to shine.
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[ sift through photographs ]
Around the table, there was endless laughter and smiles, a space where we all became real familia.
We feasted on mole in all its forms, smoky mezcal, and beer served warm, just as muxes prefer.
Tlayudas, memelas, tamales wrapped in banana leaves—each dish a taste of Oaxaca’s rich culinary heritage and the spirit of those who keep its traditions alive.
After each gathering, I created a poem as a way to reflect on what we experienced together—a way of immortalizing the energy, questions, and quiet truths shared around the table.
[ listen to poem read by author ]
muxes divinas
– DIVINE MUXES –
Llegas a nuestras vidas, Muxe
You arrive to our lives, Muxe
Y las sacudes como un temblor itsmeño
And shake them like an Itsmeño earthquake
Derribando los muros de nuestra intolerancia
Tearing down the walls of our intolerance
Dejándonos desnudos bajo un cielo de posibilidades
Leaving us naked, beneath a sky of possibility
Sacudiéndonos hasta rendirnos ante tu verdad sagrada
Shaking us until we surrender to your sacred truth
Llegas a nuestros corazones, Muxe
You arrive to our hearts, Muxe
Y los abres como flor de Guie’chachi al alba
And open them like a Guie’chachi flower at dawn
Desplegándonos con el toque firme y tierno de tu cuidado
Unfurling us with the firm and tender touch of your care
Adornándonos con la delicada fuerza de sus pétalos
Adorning us with the flower’s delicate strength
Nutriéndonos para que florezca nuestra autenticidad
Nourishing us, so that authenticity may bloom
Llegas a nuestros espíritus, Muxe
You arrive to our spirits, Muxe
E invitas a los sagrados reinos de las diosas zapotecas
And invite us to the sacred realms of Zapotec goddesses
Robándonos el alma como el lamento de la Llorona
Stealing our souls like la llorona’s lament
Guiándonos a través de la soledad de nuestra ignorancia
Guiding us through the solitude of our ignorance
Bañándonos con tu amor y comprensión
Bathing us with your love and understanding
Bendiciéndonos con tu divina presencia
Blessing us with your divine presence
No llegas, Muxe
You don’t arrive, Muxe
Pero tu legado sí
But your legacy does
La más oaxaqueña de las fiestas
The most Oaxacan of fiestas
Cumbias latiendo al ritmo de tu corazón
Cumbias pulsing as hard as your heart
Colores girando como tu enagua juchiteca
Colors swirling like your Juchiteca skirt
Aroma de mole tan omnipresente como tu alegría
Scent of mole as omnipresent as your joy
Brindamos por ti en tu ausencia
We cheer for you in your absence
Porque nunca has dejado nuestros corazones
Because you never left our hearts
Pero si nos dejas con preguntas
But you do leave us with some questions
¿Quiénes seríamos, Muxe
Who would we be, Muxe
Si nos amáramos como tú lo haces?
If we love ourselves the way you do?
¿Quiénes seríamos, Muxe
Who would we be, Muxe
Si aceptáramos lo sagrado en nosotros?
If we accepted the sacred in us?
Oaxaca’s Gift: The Hummingbird
At each gathering, participants were invited to choose a meaningful gift to send to the next city—a symbol of what the moment held, and what queerness made possible for them.
These offerings—tender, playful, ancestral, or poetic—became a thread of connection across borders. Each one carried the love and intention of its table, a gesture of kinship to those still to gather.
The table in Oaxaca chose the hummingbird, a sacred messenger in Zapotec culture. It is believed that when a hummingbird appears, it carries a visit from loved ones who have passed. This delicate, shimmering creature became their offering—a reminder that we are never alone, that the spirits of those who came before us still find their way to our tables.
Every beautiful moment at this dinner was captured by
Rolando Jimenez Lopez – Imagenes Ro