Graciela Iturbide, Magnolia con Sombrero, Juchitán, México, 1986

Silver Gelatin Print
Printed by the artist at a later date

20 x 16 in
50.8 x 40.6 cm

Further images

Graciela Itubide spent almost a decade working in her celebrated Juchitan de las Mujeres series. Iturbide’s photograph Magnolia con Sombrero, Juchitán, México, spotlights Magnolia, who resides in the town of Juchitan, a Oaxacan community that widely accepts the existence of three genders. Magnolia, a Muxe who does not identify as male or female, was photographed by Iturbide in an array of wardrobes and makeup styles, unraveling the constructed idea of gender.

In Juchitán de Zaragoza, a small town on the Istmo de Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca, there is a large population of a third gender known as Muxes. They have been celebrated since pre-colonization times. The broader acceptance of a third gender among the Zapotec people in Oaxaca may be traced to the belief that individuals who identify as Muxes (pronounced mu-shay) are part of the culture and its traditions, not separate from it. They maintain traditional dress, the Zapotec language, and other cultural traditions that are less prevalent among the broader Zapotec community. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is known for its beautiful Tehuana dresses, influenced by Chinese and Southeast Asian silks unavailable to other regions of the Americas. The trade of these garments helped establish a matriarchal society where women were financially independent, contributing to the acceptance of Muxes in the region.

Provenance

Exhibitions

2006, Eyes to Fly With, Wittliff Gallery, Alkek Library, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX

2006, Images of the Spirit, Throckmorton Fine Art Gallery, New York, NY; curator: Michael E. Hoffman (catalogue)

2018, Graciela Iturbide: Cuando Habla La Luz, Palacio de Iturbide, Ciudad de México; curator: Juan Rafael Coronel Rivera (catalogue)

2023, Womanish: Audacious, Courageous, Willful Art, The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX; curators: Lauren Thompson and Kim Neptune,

2025, Between Light and Shadow, Ruiz-Healy Art, New York

Publications

Iturbide, Graciela. Graciela Iturbide, Puebla: Museo Amparo and Editorial RM, 2012, p. 35 (illustrated)

Iturbide, Graciela. Graciela Iturbide, Madrid: Fundación Mapfre, 2009, p.218 (illustrated)

Iturbide, Graciela, Alfredo López Austin and Roberto Tejada. Images of the Spirit, New York: Aperture, 1996, p. 43 (illustrated)

Iturbide, Graciela. Graciela Iturbide: Cuando Habla La Luz. Mexico City: Editorial RM, 2017, p. 113 (illustrated)

Iturbide, Graciela, Elena Poniatowska, and Mario Bellatin. Graciela Iturbide: Juchitán De Las Mujeres, 1979-1989. Oaxaca: Calamus Editorial, 2009, p. 39 (illustrated)

Iturbide, Graciela, and Judith Keller. Graciela Iturbide: Juchitán. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007, p. 55 (illustrated)

Iturbide, Graciela, Fabienne Bradu and Alejandro Castellanos. Eyes to Fly With: Portraits, Self-portraits, and Other Photographs. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006, p. 112 (illustrated)

Graciela Iturbide: The Goat’s Dance, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (Illustrated)

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Graciela Iturbide Mexican, b. 1942

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Graciela Iturbide Mexican, b. 1942

Further images

Provenance

Exhibitions

Publications