TICUM脕N, M茅xico (AP) 鈥� There was something about her body, but Mexican actress Er茅ndira Castorela couldn鈥檛 quite put her finger on it.
Some casting directors told her she was 鈥渢oo tall鈥� to play a Mexican woman. Others insinuated her features weren鈥檛 sufficiently 鈥淚ndigenous.鈥�
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until later that I discovered what it means to recognize oneself as Afro,鈥� said Castorela, who subsequently confirmed her African ancestry. 鈥淲e are a diverse community which, perhaps due to discrimination, doesn鈥檛 identify as such.鈥�
Her life changed after she joined Mulato Teatro, a theater company that empowers actors of African descent who are eager to forge a career despite racism. However, like most Afro Mexican activists, Castorela believes that nationwide recognition is still a long way off.
鈥淚f we look around, we鈥檒l see curly hair, high cheekbones, full lips or dark skin,鈥� the 33-year-old said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a wound that prevents us from recognizing ourselves.鈥�
The Afro Mexican lineage
Unlike the United States, where there have been concerted efforts to boost awareness of the , acknowledging in Mexico has received little support.
鈥淭he concept of mixed race denies the cultural diversity that defines us as Mexicans," said Mar铆a Elisa Vel谩zquez, a researcher at the National School of Anthropology and History. "We are not only Indigenous, but also European, African and Asian.鈥�
It is well known that the Mesoamerican lands conquered by the Spaniards in the 16th century were inhabited by Indigenous people, resulting in mixed-race marriages and births. Less noted is the fact that some mixed-race Mexicans are partly descended from enslaved Black people.
According to Vel谩zquez, the evolution of communities incorporating Black people depended on their geographic location. 鈥淢uch of the Afro-descendant population established relations and coexisted alongside different Indigenous groups, resulting in very heterogeneous communities,鈥� she said.
Official figures from 2024 estimate the Afro-descendant population in Mexico is 3.1 million, mainly residing in the states of Guerrero, Morelos, Colima and Quintana Roo. While most identify as African Mexican, nearly two-thirds also perceive themselves as Indigenous.
Finding her true identity
Castorela 鈥� born in Morelos, a state neighboring 鈥� recalls looking through family photo albums after first wondering if she had African ancestry. The features of her relatives left no room for doubt.
鈥淚 also realized we had created a narrative that concealed our origins,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was always someone saying: 鈥楤ut there was a blond person in the family,鈥� or 鈥楪randma had finer features.鈥欌��
Castorela may not have curly hair and her skin tone may not resemble that of other Afro women, but she said her body never lied.
When she was a young actress taking ballet classes, she felt constrained and uncomfortable. It wasn鈥檛 until she joined African dance classes that the choreography was ideal for her height, weight and soul.
鈥淚 feel much freer because there鈥檚 openness and movement,鈥� she said. 鈥淚dentifying as African Mexican has given me the mental and spiritual peace I needed to realize there is a place where I can reflect myself.鈥�
A struggling career
The theater company where Castorela and two dozen other artists collaborate was founded in the early 2000s by another Afro woman who struggled to excel as a Black actress in Mexico.
Born in Colombia, a South American country where around 10% of the population is Black, Marisol Castillo said she had no clue her physical features would hinder her career. But after falling in love with Mexican playwright Jaime Chabaud and moving to his hometown, everything changed.
鈥淪ome want to force us to fit a mold, a white mold,鈥� Castillo said. 鈥淎nd when we differ, we鈥檙e told: 鈥榊ou鈥檙e a bad actor, you鈥檙e out of tune.' But we're just different.鈥�
Casting directors mostly offered Castillo roles as prostitute, exotic dancer, maid or slave. So she teamed up with Chabaud, and 鈥淢ulato Teatro鈥� was born.
鈥淭here was very little openness and awareness,鈥� Chabaud said. 鈥淪o I started writing plays for her.鈥�
Tales of African and Mexican heritage
The themes of Chabaud鈥檚 plays are as diverse as the actors who bring his characters to life.
鈥淎frican Erotic Tales of the Black Decameron鈥� draws inspiration from oral traditions, fusing the worldview of African communities. 鈥漎anga" portrays a real-life 17th-century Black hero who is considered a liberator in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
Among the topics inspiring Chabaud are not only African legends or characters, but stories closer to home. 鈥淲here are you going, Mr. Opossum?鈥� tells the tale of a 鈥淭lacuache,鈥� an ancient creature from Mesoamerican mythology.
In Chabaud鈥檚 play, the Tlacuache steals fire from a goddess to save humanity from hunger and darkness. The creature has no divine powers, but his ability to play dead enables him to sneak past the Jaguar, a deity safeguarding the flames.
鈥淛aime always tells us that we should all worship Mr. Tlacuache instead of other deities,鈥� said Aldo Martin, playing the leading role.
Martin, 28, does not identify as Afro, but feels the company鈥檚 work successfully portrays Mexico鈥檚 diversity.
鈥淥ur ancestors are not only Indigenous, but a fusion, and these mixed heritages have resulted in a very distinct society, made of all colors, which shouldn鈥檛 pigeonhole us into just being Afro,鈥� Martin said.
Diversity is welcomed at Mulato Teatro
Castillo and Chabaud primarily encourage Afro-Mexican artists to work in their plays, but they also welcome amateur actors and LGBTQ+ performers.
One of them is transgender actress Annya Atanasio Cadena, who began her career in plays addressing topics such as suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction in marginalized communities.
鈥淚n my (LGBTQ+) community, we know what it鈥檚 like to fight against the world,鈥� said Atanasio, who plays a trans woman in one of Chabaud鈥檚 plays about gender violence.
鈥淚鈥檓 very moved to have been given the chance to become part of this space, which also heals me,鈥� she added. "We can show that we exist and we are more than just a story. We are bodies, desires, feelings, and the pain we carry.鈥�
Dreams of an unknown land
There鈥檚 a special play written and directed by Castillo: 鈥淒reaming of Africa.鈥�
Although she has not been able to trace the exact roots of her ancestry, her work and community make her feel closer to a long-lost home.
鈥淲hen we, people from the same ethnicity meet, we call each other 鈥榖rother,鈥欌�� Castillo said. 鈥淎fter all, we came from the same ports.鈥�
She said she鈥檒l never forget a presentation of 鈥淒reaming of Africa,鈥� when a girl from the audience approached her.
鈥淪he could barely speak, so we hugged,鈥� Castillo said. 鈥淭hen she said: 鈥橳hank you for telling me I鈥檓 pretty, for making me feel my worth'.鈥�
Castillo, too, learns something about herself as she acts, writes and directs. It鈥檚 like peeling an onion, she said, taking layer by layer to reveal what鈥檚 underneath.
鈥淚 grow with each play,鈥� Castillo said. "I feel prouder of my roots, knowing that I can move away from stereotypes like playing a prostitute or a witch. That I, too, can be a queen.鈥�
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Mar铆a Teresa Hern谩ndez, The Associated Press
