Conceptualising sexuality in the Mexican martial art of Xilam

Empirical research into Mexican sexuality has problematised the ‘issues’ accompanying sexual behaviour, but has yet to conceptualise sexuality as part of a culturally specific worldview. The Mexican martial art Xilam is inspired by the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican warriors of the Mexica, Maya and Zapotec in an effort to create a human development system for contemporary Mexicans. This chapter draws from an ethnography of Xilam that utilises Mexica (Nahua/Aztec) philosophy, cultural critique and Mesoamerican anthropology in order to examine: (1) how sexuality is conceptualised within this community’s broader philosophical paradigm, and (2) the ways in which this conceptualisation can lead to alternative views on the body, sexual identity and gender. Analysis of interviews with Xilam instructors and their official media demonstrate how the community contrasts the colonial past with a postcolonial potential inspired by their pre-Hispanic past. Overall, Xilam illustrates the potential for a conceptual, postcolonial approach as a basis for studying sexuality in sport in Mexico and Latin America.