Drag on Cortés
Enigma in Cuernavaca - Photo from Sergay.com
Time to put on your fishnet stockings, glittery dresses and shimmering eye-shadow – BOYS – the show is about to begin.
I went to my first drag show here in Cuernavaca, Mexico, last night…and it definitely won’t be my last.
After so much macho culture, the bar that held the show – Enigma – is a refreshing change. You can only handle so many “ay, mamacitas” and “jhellou, jhow arre jyous” from men on the street.
For a straight woman, Enigma is a place to enjoy not being chased, and to watch other people in the pursuit. For HOY’s LGBT group, Enigma offers prime real estate in a city that normally caters to hip-hop boppy foreigners and the Mexicans trying to get with them.
Well, not being able to control my feminist, gender education thought-training, I had a fabulous time watching the mixed reactions of my fellow drag show goers. I went with half of the group from LMU – a group of students that is here doing an LGBT-gender themed trip with HOY, and three straight (of which they reminded me often) Mexican men and their one gay Mexican friend. While the LMU group appeared to be enjoying themselves, it took the heterosexual group a longer time to get into the music and stop being so on the defensive. And once they realized they could dance to show tunes and classic Mexican songs and not care about looking, well, “gay,” they totally relaxed (and even told me they actually had, oh-my-gosh, fun!)
The show itself was particularly entertaining, with two drag queens singing popular Mexican songs – they kept the crowd whooping and cheering for more. The second woman sang the most songs, and was absolutely hilarious. Dressed in a black velvet housewife-style dress and short, blonde pixie cut wig with glittery jewels lining her heavily makeup-ed eyes – she pranced all over the stage and waded her way through the packed bar, kissing cheeks.
Enigma is located in downtown Cuernavaca, to the left of the Palacio de Cortés, going down some stairs. The exact address is Boulevard Juarez Esq. Cuahtemoczin 302, Local R. The show, at least when I went, is on the 2nd floor and beers are 40 pesos, 2 x 1.
