15
B+W›
›have a lot of autonomy, a lot of power.’
Happenstance though it may be, the
photobook is a masterwork, acclaimed
not only for its visual language but
for its anthropological investigations
of Zapotec women.
Several of the images in the series feature
an individual called Magnolia – a muxe. In
Zapotec culture, a muxe is an assigned male
at birth, who dresses and behaves in ways
that are associated with the female gender.
‘Muxes, I believe, date back to pre-Hispanic
times,’ says Graciela. ‘They have their place in
society and have always been respected and
accepted, even as children. Juchitán has
always been unique in that it is very liberal- there is a place for everyone.’
Arguably the most iconic image from the
series is La Nuestra Señora de las Iguanas - Our Lady of the Iguanas (see page 12).
It’s a portrait of market trader Sobeida Díaz,
who would walk to market every day with
iguanas on her head, assembled together
like a crown. Graciela asked Sobeida if she
could photograph her, and after several
unsuccessful shots where the iguanas slid off
her head, she captured La Nuestra Señora de
las Iguanas. That single photograph soon
took on a life of its own and Sobeida became
known locally as La Medusa Juchitána –
the Medusa of Juchitán. ‘The fantastic thing
about that photo is that it has become
an icon – the lady with the iguanas is
everywhere,’ says Graciela. Sobeida became
the patron saint of Juchitán and she has even
been immortalised in a bronze sculpture.
The photo has been used in road signs and to
promote cultural events, and has appeared in
murals in Los Angeles and on mezcal labels.
Even now Graciela finds it remarkable that‘Sometimes photos fly.
I don’t know why – they
just fly.’
Opposite Caballeros de Colón, Lima, Perú, 1974. | Above Desierto de Sonora, 1979.