Mario A. Gómez Zamora’s first book project, “Queer P’urhépecha Histories & Performances Beyond Borders” explores the cultural tensions that queer Indigenous P’urhépechas face when participating in their communities’ traditions. Through the lens of queer theory, dance studies, and performance studies, Dr. Gómez Zamora analyzes how Indigenous communities reproduce colonial violence against queer individuals in the present, and how queer P’urhépechas work toward new futures through danzas and performances in P’urhépecha fiestas and ceremonies while they claim their indigeneity as part of the collective in Michoacán and among those P’urhépechas who migrated to the Pacific Coast and Midwest of the United States. To trace the stories of marginalized Indigenous people in both their homelands and in sites of migration, Mario combines Indigenous methodologies, such as talking-while-walking through the landscape, with oral histories, semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and archival research. This is a project of hope, life, and resistance!

Date: Monday, March 16th, 2026

Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m. 
Location: The Latinx Research Center (2547 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704)