(Formerly Milpa)

The jaripeo is the heart of what it means to be a Mexican cowboy, a celebration of machismo with huge importance to the largely diasporic community from Michoacán. But looking closely, the same rodeo arena can reveal another world: a knowing glance between two men, a small brush of the hand on another’s back. Using the jaripeo as the stage on which we follow the lives of our characters, a space opens up to question: What lies beneath the performance of machismo? How does queer desire survive in oppressively traditional spaces? How will our protagonists find belonging in masculinity, in their community—and within themselves?

Jaripeo is a participant of the 2024 (Egg)celerator Lab.