A Mixetc street vendor named “Marven,” who was featured on the Netflix original docuseries Taco Chronicles, has decided to put aside the molcajete for a bit and run for Congress in Mexico City. Winning a seat during the midterm election this June will allow her to fight for the rights of workers and LGBTQ citizens like her.
Marven identifies as “muxe,” a third gender specifically known in the state of Oaxaca where she was born.
“All my life, I’ve been singled out for my sexual orientation and I’ve been persecuted for selling on public streets,” Marven told NBC News. “Why not fight? Why not raise your voice?”
She made her Netflix debut in 2019 during the debut season of Taco Chronicles where she is seen selling “tacos de canasta” (tacos usually filled with either beans, potatoes or chicharrón and sold from a basket). Hence, Marven earned the nickname “Lady Tacos de Canasta.”
Marven is introduced to audiences in Taco Chronicles riding her bicycle to Edvard Grieg’s classic “Morning Mood.” The peaceful song is quickly disrupted by Marven yelling out to potential customers. “Tacos! Tacos de canasta! Tacos!” Maven says she first found fame when she sold tacos at a Pride parade.
“There was a lot of people, my tone of voice, my clothes and makeup got a lot of attention,” she says on the series. “Many people took videos of me with their cell phones, but I would have never imagined that I’d go viral on social media. It radically changed my life.”
During her episode, Marven talks about her “muxe” identity. “Having a muxe at home is a blessing since these people have both deities,” she says.
Landing a position on Mexico City’s Congress this summer won’t be easy, so “Lady Tacos de Canasta” will need as much divine intervention as she can get.